The Self Publishing Podcast - DIY Digital Publishing, Kindle Publishing, and Advice for Writershttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com
Want to get your words out into the world without contending with agents, publishers, or any of the other gatekeepers in traditional publishing? There's never been a better time to become a writer, and to be in charge of your own destiny rather than jumping through hoops to please the Powers that Be.
Self-publishing ninjas David Wright and Sean Platt -- who have manufactured a publishing machine around Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform -- join popular blogger and author Johnny B. Truant to explore everything related to getting published in today's new DIY digital publishing frontier. This isn't artsy talk... we're business guys with no-BS strategies to help you make self-publishing a rewarding reality. Submit your questions at SelfPublishingPodcast.com!Wed, 25 Mar 2015 14:00:07 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.5Want to get your words out into the world without contending with agents, publishers, or any of the other gatekeepers in traditional publishing? There's never been a better time to become a writer, and to be in charge of your own destiny rather than jumping through hoops to please the Powers that Be.
Self-publishing ninjas Johnny B. Truant, David Wright, and Sean Platt -- who have manufactured online publishing companies that crank out a book every single week -- to explore everything related to getting published in today's new DIY digital publishing frontier. This isn't artsy talk... we're business guys with no-BS strategies to help you make self-publishing a rewarding reality. Submit your questions at SelfPublishingPodcast.com!Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David WrightyesDIY Digital Publishing, Kindle Publishing, and Advice for Writershttp://selfpublishingpodcast.comhttp://selfpublishingpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/album_art-small.jpgSelf Publishing PodcastJohnny B. Truant, LLCself,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comEducation/TrainingArts/LiteratureBusinessjohnny@johnnybtruant.comJohnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wrightself,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelfPublishingPodcasthttps://feedburner.google.comSelf Publishing Podcast #150 – Story Research Made Awesomehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-150-story-research-made-awesome/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-150-story-research-made-awesome
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-150-story-research-made-awesome/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 14:00:07 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2500https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-150-story-research-made-awesome/feed/0The dreaded “R” word, the one task that sends some writers away screaming just at the mention of it—RESEARCH. Do you shy away from research? Do you hate it? Do you avoid writing certain yarns in your story garden just because you’re paralyzed by the go...The dreaded “R” word, the one task that sends some writers away screaming just at the mention of it—RESEARCH. Do you shy away from research? Do you hate it? Do you avoid writing certain yarns in your story garden just because you’re paralyzed by the gobs of research you know you’ll have to suffer through? Or, on the flip side, do you love and embrace a deep and wondering investigation, so much so that you may never get around to actually writing anything?
Either way, this episode may be just what you need. It’s fascinating to see how Johnny, Sean, and Dave see research in a very different light, and how researching a story may not be nearly as scary as you think.
And, even if you don’t care about research as a topic, this episode is worth listening to just to hear Dave’s giddy ayahuasca jokes!Self Publishing Podcastno1:12:09self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #149 – Creating “Gotta Buy It!” blurbs with Libbie Hawkerhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-149-creating-gotta-buy-it-blurbs-with-libbie-hawker/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-149-creating-gotta-buy-it-blurbs-with-libbie-hawker
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-149-creating-gotta-buy-it-blurbs-with-libbie-hawker/#commentsWed, 18 Mar 2015 13:00:13 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2496https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-149-creating-gotta-buy-it-blurbs-with-libbie-hawker/feed/6Product descriptions—an aspect of your publishing/marketing plan that many writers either do half-assed or ignore completely—are more important than you might think. As this week’s guest, Libbie Hawker explains in the show,Product descriptions—an aspect of your publishing/marketing plan that many writers either do half-assed or ignore completely—are more important than you might think. As this week’s guest, Libbie Hawker explains in the show, you may pay for (or otherwise wrangle) a good deal of traffic to your book, but if your product description (sometimes called a “blurb,” although that is really something else) isn’t optimized to intrigue readers and convert that curiosity into a sale, you’ll be missing out on tons of possible sales and new readers.
And nobody wants that, right?
This week’s guest, Libbie Hawker, was amazing. Not only did she give all kinds of great information about how to write an outstanding product description for your book, but she also managed to compare Dave to one of the weirdest-looking animals in existence—the Tapir.
(Check out a picture of a tapir at: http://sterlingandstone.net/creating-gotta-buy-blurbs-libbie-hawker-self-publishing-podcast-149/ ,along with video embeds, transcripts, and comments.)
Pretty strange-looking creature, right?
This episode was thoroughly entertaining, just as much as it was incredibly instructive, a must-listen for anyone that wants to start crafting better product descriptions for their books.
Learn more about Libbie Hawker, and her books, here: http://libbiehawker.com/
Check out her books, Gotta Read It, here: http://www.amazon.com/Gotta-Read-Simple-Steps-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00OI9HHQY/, and Take Off Your Pants, here: http://www.amazon.com/Take-Off-Your-Pants-Outline-ebook/dp/B00UKC0GHA/
Oh, and here’s the hilarious Honey Badger video that was mentioned on the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5YjgSelf Publishing Podcastno1:14:36self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #148 – Scrappy Networking for Authors with Donovan Schererhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-148-scrappy-networking-for-authors-with-donovan-scherer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-148-scrappy-networking-for-authors-with-donovan-scherer
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-148-scrappy-networking-for-authors-with-donovan-scherer/#commentsWed, 11 Mar 2015 15:30:25 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2493https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-148-scrappy-networking-for-authors-with-donovan-scherer/feed/2Just what does it mean to be “Scrappy” when it comes to networking as an indie author? And how can an author make a success, not just with online networking (via, blogs, email, or social networks), but also with face-to-face networking (like going to c...Just what does it mean to be “Scrappy” when it comes to networking as an indie author? And how can an author make a success, not just with online networking (via, blogs, email, or social networks), but also with face-to-face networking (like going to conventions and other live events)? This week, Donovan Scherer came on to share his experiences with us, and there was a lot to absorb here.
First of all, we want to remind you to pick up Monica’s new book about writing, Write Better Faster. It’s amazing! I, Jacob, have read it already, and I can say it’s absolutely fantastic. You’ll certainly learn a lot from Monica’s experiences, failures, and successes, and her tips will definitely help you improve your writing speed. My speed improved the first day after finishing the book!
We can look forward to Sean’s fuller endorsement of the book next week, after he’s had a chance to read it, but if you want to know more about the book, and Monica’s other work, in the meantime, hop on over to Prose On Fire (http://proseonfire.com) and see her books plus some free resources for writers. Or you can click here to see the book right in amazon: (http://proseonfire.com/writefaster/)
As another note, we will soon be sharing updates on the Twelve cover, which Dave is doing through 99 Designs. You’ll be able to follow that progress by going to selfpublishingpodcast.com/12cover. (That link may not go anywhere yet, but it will soon!)
Finally, Donovan came on to talk about his success in marketing face-to-face at conventions and live events. There are several excellent takeaways there, for both live-event-marketing/networking and online networking. So you WON’T want to miss that!
If you’re interested in Donovan’s art and stories, you should check out his personal website here: http://www.donovanscherer.com, and here: http://www.fearandsunshine.com. Be sure to check out his illustration and cover designs here: http://www.ratatatgraphics.com/ratatatgraphics/
Finally, because Donovan is awesome, he made up a little page just for us SPP fans! It has some useful articles we’d all enjoy, plus the Boricio picture he showed on Youtube! Find all that here: http://www.donovanscherer.com/spp/
Thanks Donovan!Self Publishing Podcastno1:00:05self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #147 – Selling on Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noblehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-147-selling-on-apple-kobo-and-barnes-noble/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-147-selling-on-apple-kobo-and-barnes-noble
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-147-selling-on-apple-kobo-and-barnes-noble/#commentsWed, 04 Mar 2015 15:00:10 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2490https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-147-selling-on-apple-kobo-and-barnes-noble/feed/0Finally, the episode we’ve all been waiting for, the show Johnny and Sean have been teasing us about for weeks, the unveiling of a project that has, until this week, been known only as “The Beyonce.” Invasion is here,Finally, the episode we’ve all been waiting for, the show Johnny and Sean have been teasing us about for weeks, the unveiling of a project that has, until this week, been known only as “The Beyonce.” Invasion is here, and it’s not only the latest and greatest story to spring from the creative Engine of Platt and Truant, but it’s also a revolution in just how optimized a book launch can be.
In the episode, Johnny refers to Invasion as the match that just might light the fire of S&S’s overall optimization, the first of several projects we can look forward to over the course of this year that will set the S&S catalog ablaze.
And we get to see it all unfold! Invasion was introduced to the SPP community almost as a kind of case study, where we’ll get regular updates of how the series sells and succeeds in attracting fresh readers, sending sales of other, also optimized titles, skyrocketing.
If you’re not a Platinum Reader (And if you’re not, why the heck not? Click here to become one now: https://sterlingandstone.net/sterling-and-stoner/), then you may want to buy Invasion from one of the below retailers:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Alien-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00TADUV1Q/
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Invasion/book-YWJ71632_UWxtg-CC_iKPA/page1.html?s=U5HAHE1sdU6SXd43xUSJ3A&r=1
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/invasion-sean-platt/1121177401?ean=2940150069367
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/invasion/id965405561?mt=11
In what way is Invasion optimized for success, both short term and long term? What makes it different and superior to the average book, even to many of Realm & Sands’ previous titles? (As far as optimization goes; not to say R&S hasn’t put out other amazing reads, like Axis and The Beam) Here are a few of Invasion’s major features that went into maximizing it’s launch potential:
It’s a page-turner, as opposed to R&S’s usual, verbose, thoughtful style
It’s a genre that normally sells great—alien invasion—instead of a confusing category (like Unicorn Western or Dream Engine’s “Steam Punk Lord of the Rings”)
It has a kick-ass cover
It was set up with a pre order, which also allowed early reviews because the paperback was published ahead of time
It will have two sequels, each a month apart to maximize algorithm magic
During the show, Johnny mentioned an “open letter” from Amazon about self pub best practices. You can download and read that letter in PDF here: http://sterlingandstone.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/iBooks-Open-Letter.pdf
If you listen to this week’s show and you’re not jumping up and down in excitement, then your just not paying close enough attention. This whole project is a major game changer, or the start of one, anyway.
We can’t wait to see what happens next.Self Publishing Podcastno1:15:46self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #146 – Using KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited as a Tactichttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/146/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=146
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/146/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 15:00:42 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2487https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/146/feed/2This week, the guys had Lindsay Buroker on to talk about how you can use KDP Select as a tactic to sell books and make money, while not endangering your overall sales strategy long term. - Lindsay seems to know exactly how to work KDP Select for her a...This week, the guys had Lindsay Buroker on to talk about how you can use KDP Select as a tactic to sell books and make money, while not endangering your overall sales strategy long term.
Lindsay seems to know exactly how to work KDP Select for her advantage, since last year she revealed a pen name experiment that made her over three grand in the first month! She wrote a blog post about that, which caught the SPP guys’ attention.
Check out the original article here: http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-kindle-sales/pen-name-launch-first-month-earnings-marketing/
Before having Lindsay on and talking about KDP Select, the guys talked about how awesome Scrivener is, which is the writing tool just about every writer serious about their craft uses. They’ve learned a lot from the “Learn Scrivener Fast” course. They recently did a live webinar about the tool, and they plan to do another one soon, so stay tuned for that if you’re interested.
To get Scrivener, go here for Mac: http://get.esellerate.net/get/ALP877983468/default.htm?skuid=SKU81634174866&affid=AFL6778979386&at=
And here for Windows: http://get.esellerate.net/get/ALP404895636/default.htm?skuid=SKU82916413320&affid=AFL6778979386&at=
To learn about Learn Scrivener Fast, go here: http://sterlingst.jarono.hop.clickbank.net/
When Lindsay did come on the show, she started by talking about her point of view regarding Select, and how she used a pen name and Select to get fairly decent sales in a short period of time.
The secret, it turns out, is a combination of things, including choosing the best categories for your book, not being afraid to jump into a specific fiction niche, and publishing books often, so you never really feel that 30 day drop.
You’ll want to check out the above article, as well as the more recent stuff Lindsay has been up to, here: http://www.lindsayburoker.com
You can also listen to her writing/publishing advice here: http://www.thewritingpodcast.com
And here: http://www.marketingsff.comSelf Publishing Podcastno1:15:36self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #145 – Self Publishing Questions Answeredhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-145-self-publishing-questions-answered/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-145-self-publishing-questions-answered
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-145-self-publishing-questions-answered/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 15:00:42 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2484https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-145-self-publishing-questions-answered/feed/2This week, the guys caught up on questions from you, our dear viewers/listeners, about self publishing. That wasn’t supposed to be the actual topic, but we’re pushing back the topic that the guys were SUPPOSED to talk about for another week or two. - This week, the guys caught up on questions from you, our dear viewers/listeners, about self publishing. That wasn’t supposed to be the actual topic, but we’re pushing back the topic that the guys were SUPPOSED to talk about for another week or two.
(But the topic that was postponed should be awesome when they finally are able to start talking about it, so stay tuned for that!)
First, something of HUGE note: Both Yesterday’s Gone and The Beam have been nominated for the Audies, which is like the Academy Awards of audiobooks. The guys don’t realistically expect to win, but still, two Audie Nominations is a huge win for both the S&S team and Podium Publishing.
Get more info about the Audies here: http://www.audiopub.org/audies-contest.asp
Once the guys got onto the main topic (answering your self publishing questions), here are the questions that were covered:
Is it better to wait a while (6 weeks of more) between your draft and your first edit?
What to do with a sudden inflow of new email subscribers (via a site like Noise Trade). If you’re interested in Noise Trade as a list-building option, go here: http://noisetrade.com/
Would it be advisable to have the same photo on a series of books, just with the titles changed?
Do the guys ever have more than one first draft going at a time?
Are euphemisms on the cover (or in the title) of a book a good idea, especially in the case of a YA book?
Is releasing books at 99 cents a good idea, in order to build a bigger audience?
Will the rise of Kindle Unlimited prompt the rise of shorter works?
Can you price your books higher for each consecutive installment in a series?
What does “think like a publisher” mean? Self-publish, find a small press, or go traditional?
Should an indie author look for a printer to hire for publishing books, or is POD better?
A question that was kind of can-of-wormed was about book launches, so look forward for a future show about book launches (a topic we haven’t seen since the original launch of Write Publish Repeat).Self Publishing Podcastno1:08:06self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #144 – Networking and Author Landing Pages with Matt Gartlandhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-144-networking-and-author-landing-pages-with-matt-gartland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-144-networking-and-author-landing-pages-with-matt-gartland
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-144-networking-and-author-landing-pages-with-matt-gartland/#commentsWed, 11 Feb 2015 14:50:43 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2480https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-144-networking-and-author-landing-pages-with-matt-gartland/feed/1This week the guys sat down with Matt Garland, host of the Author MBA podcast and networking genius. - It’s a hard fact in life that we all must face: It’s not always just what you know; it’s who you know that get’s you places in life.This week the guys sat down with Matt Garland, host of the Author MBA podcast and networking genius.
It’s a hard fact in life that we all must face: It’s not always just what you know; it’s who you know that get’s you places in life. That is absolutely true in the world of publishing (and indie publishing), much to the dismay of all of us introverted, strike-out-on-our-own, put-the-indie-back-into-indie-publishing writers.
But have now fear! Matt Garland came to all of our rescue this week to talk about how networking (with a lower-case “n” instead of the capital one) with other authors isn’t near as painful and social as it sounds.
Matt Garland also talked to us about the importance of having good landing pages for our books, something even fiction authors can steal from nonfiction authors, who have been using this tactic successfully for a while now.
Also be sure to check out Matt’s own podcast Author MBA here: http://winningedits.com/authormba-podcast/Self Publishing Podcastno1:13:19self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #143 – What Readers Really Want, with Matt from Buck Bookshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/143/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=143
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/143/#commentsWed, 04 Feb 2015 15:00:10 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2476https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/143/feed/2If you’ve been faithfully watching the show for a while, then you might remember the guys wondering out loud about this mysterious website called Buck Books. They wondered what the company was all about, and they puzzled about how legit it was.If you’ve been faithfully watching the show for a while, then you might remember the guys wondering out loud about this mysterious website called Buck Books. They wondered what the company was all about, and they puzzled about how legit it was. (Because how do you take someone with the name Buck Flogging seriously, really?)
Since then, the guys have come to terms with the funky name and even funkier profile picture (seriously, go here to see the profile pic for Buck: http://archangelink.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/bucks-pic.jpg) and they’ve come to see Buck Books as a tool many authors should know about.
Enter Matt Stone, who came on the show to tell us about what Buck Books is and to share some insights into how to make a book more appealing to readers. There are some very good tips here, so don’t you dare miss the show!
Visit Buck Books Here: http://buckbooks.net
Visit Matt’s Other Site Here: http://archangelink.comSelf Publishing Podcastno1:01:45self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #142 – How to Use Amazon Instead of Amazon Using Youhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/142/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=142
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/142/#commentsWed, 28 Jan 2015 15:00:06 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2473https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/142/feed/0Let's face it--exclusivity sucks, and having "all your eggs in one basket" when it comes to where your books are available isn't a smart idea at all. But... - But Amazon's KDP Select just keeps winning us over,Let's face it--exclusivity sucks, and having "all your eggs in one basket" when it comes to where your books are available isn't a smart idea at all. But...
But Amazon's KDP Select just keeps winning us over, tempting us with new benefits and goodies for staying exclusive. So whatever should an indie author do? Swallow the pill and go exclusive? Or play the long-term game and go wide?
In this week's episode, the guys talked about how maybe there's another way to think about your relationship with Amazon, and maybe there's a way to make Amazon work for you instead of the other way around.
This week, the guys talked about how much they’re using Select and why. This is more than simple experimentation; it’s about making a cost-benefit judgement. KDP wants exclusivity, but what does it give in return?
The guys suggested a completely new way of looking at KDP, a way that just might keep us from feeling abused. More importantly, this attitude is essential when working with any platform, and it’s necessary to future-proof your business.
Also this week, we get an update on how “optimization” is working out for S&S, and we all get some tips that could help us optimize, too. Among those tips were some pointers about covers. Go to sterlingandstone.net to see the covers discussed on the show!Self Publishing Podcastno1:06:44self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #141 – How to Blow Up Your Email List with Nick Stephensonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-141-how-to-blow-up-your-email-list-with-nick-stephenson/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-141-how-to-blow-up-your-email-list-with-nick-stephenson
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-141-how-to-blow-up-your-email-list-with-nick-stephenson/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 14:00:50 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2470https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-141-how-to-blow-up-your-email-list-with-nick-stephenson/feed/1Your list, your email list, where readers can stay connected with you and get notifications of your latest releases, is probably the single most important thing any indie author should have in order to be a self-publishing pro,Your list, your email list, where readers can stay connected with you and get notifications of your latest releases, is probably the single most important thing any indie author should have in order to be a self-publishing pro, except for maybe a well-written book, of course. We’ve heard the guys talk before about how important having an email list is, as well as them lamenting how they slacked off in that area for most of last year, but we haven’t yet really dug into how to build your list and keep your readers opening your emails, even months later.
Enter Nick Stephenson, email marketing extraordinaire and author of both fiction and nonfiction. He was a charming and knowledgable guest who definitely had a thing or two to say about how to build and sustain an email list, for either fiction of nonfiction authors.
Among the things Nick talked about were:
How he built his list to incredible number in a matter of months
How he handles both his fiction and nonfiction lists
How he keeps his open and click-through rates high for his different lists
There is so much great info here, you’ll probably want to listen more than once, and if you’re like me, you’ll want to keep a notebook handy so you can jot down some email list ideas for your business.Self Publishing Podcastno1:08:30self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #140 – Nonfiction with Steve Scotthttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-140-nonfiction-with-steve-scott/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-140-nonfiction-with-steve-scott
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-140-nonfiction-with-steve-scott/#commentsWed, 14 Jan 2015 15:00:29 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2467https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-140-nonfiction-with-steve-scott/feed/0The vast majority of SPP episodes so far have been applied mostly to fiction authors, which makes sense because Johnny, Sean and Dave are all primarily fiction authors and most of us watching/listening at home are the same. But, still,The vast majority of SPP episodes so far have been applied mostly to fiction authors, which makes sense because Johnny, Sean and Dave are all primarily fiction authors and most of us watching/listening at home are the same. But, still, with Smarter Artist (Sterling & Stone’s nonfiction imprint) constantly growing and succeeding and more and more writers either dabbling in nonfiction or fully embracing it, it’s about time to show nonfiction some more love on SPP!
Enter Steve Scott, habits expert, kindle marketing superhero, and nonfiction-writing extraordinaire. And he had some wonderful tips and tricks to share with us SPP listeners on how to outline, write, launch, and market a nonfiction book.
Of course, no matter what you write, this episode has plenty of gems that make it well worth listening to. Of special note, among other things are:
How Steve comes up with his nonfiction book ideas
What his new daily podcast is all about, and why you may want to check it out
What’s working for Steve in the area of marketing, and what’s not, and why
How Steve uses his email list and the 99-cent price point to sell more books
How he uses his habits expertise to help him improve as a writerSelf Publishing Podcastno1:04:18self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #139 – Self-Publishing Goals for 2015https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-139-self-publishing-goals-for-2015/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-139-self-publishing-goals-for-2015
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-139-self-publishing-goals-for-2015/#commentsWed, 07 Jan 2015 14:00:41 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2465https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-139-self-publishing-goals-for-2015/feed/0The first episode of the new year, we’re starting things off right by talking about goals for 2015. The guys really shaped the year to come (until something shiny distracts them and everything changes) by laying out some benchmark outcomes and concepts.The first episode of the new year, we’re starting things off right by talking about goals for 2015. The guys really shaped the year to come (until something shiny distracts them and everything changes) by laying out some benchmark outcomes and concepts.
The new word for the year is either “harmony” or “optimization,” at least for now, since it will likely change a few times in the months to come. Now that S&S has a massive catalog of titles to play with, in Johnny’s perfectly articulated words, “it’s time to make our books work for us.”
A few things you’ll probably be looking forward to especially:
A return to form for Collective Inkwell, meaning more words and more amazing stories
Fiction Unboxed 2, which the guys are promising will be game changing and jaw dropping
A return to fiction as the main focus for S&S
That last one is good whether you read their fiction or not. We’ll all likely see a huge improvement in the usefulness of SPP if the guys are producing more fiction and promoting it more. After all, most listeners are fiction writers, so if the guys do more cool stuff with their fiction, we’ll all benefit more from lessons learned from their experiments, failures, and successes.
All in all, if you’re not excited about SPP and Sterling and Stone for the new year, what’s wrong with you?Self Publishing Podcastno1:13:34self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #138 – Self-Publishing Predictions for 2015https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/138/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=138
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/138/#commentsWed, 24 Dec 2014 14:00:43 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2461https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/138/feed/0This week, the guys wrapped up the year by meandering around a couple of different amazing topics. The voicemails supplied fantastic questions, which lead to interesting mini discussions. - The main topic,This week, the guys wrapped up the year by meandering around a couple of different amazing topics. The voicemails supplied fantastic questions, which lead to interesting mini discussions.
The main topic, the guys’ predictions for the indie publishing world in 2015, was definitely more a wish-list than a try at fortune-telling. Will any of them actually come true?
I mean, who wouldn’t love for Amazon to improve their dashboard? And wouldn’t it be great to have another indie hit Howie-levels of success?
Will any of those things actually come true? Only time will tell.Self Publishing Podcastno1:00:05self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #137 – Biggest Self-Publishing Lessons Learned of 2014https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/137/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=137
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/137/#commentsWed, 17 Dec 2014 14:00:42 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2458https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/137/feed/0It’s a true mark of wisdom to be able to learn from your own experiences and mistakes. As 2014 draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to stop and think about what we did best, what we can work on, and what mistakes we can take lessons from to make the...It’s a true mark of wisdom to be able to learn from your own experiences and mistakes. As 2014 draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to stop and think about what we did best, what we can work on, and what mistakes we can take lessons from to make the next year stronger than the last. That’s exactly what the guys did this week, and the episode that resulted was solid gold.
A few key topics that were covered (and you won’t want to miss):
Sending emails regularly
Having pro covers
Not releasing single episodes (well, for now, anyway)
Constantly getting better (iterative growth)
Trimming you tribe and getting closer to your truest fans
And all kinds of smaller points we can’t even list here.
All in all, there were a lot of fantastic lessons hit here, and listening to this episode will no doubt help you think of what lessons you can learn from this year to help you start 2015 with a bang!Self Publishing Podcastno1:10:59self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #136 – How to Stay Motivated and Producehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-136-how-to-stay-motivated-and-produce/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-136-how-to-stay-motivated-and-produce
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-136-how-to-stay-motivated-and-produce/#commentsWed, 10 Dec 2014 15:49:18 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2456https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-136-how-to-stay-motivated-and-produce/feed/2This week the guys talked about how to stay motivated… well, at least for the last 20 minutes, anyway. As usual, the off-topic stuff was actually as fun as the topic itself. - They talked about email for a while.This week the guys talked about how to stay motivated… well, at least for the last 20 minutes, anyway. As usual, the off-topic stuff was actually as fun as the topic itself.
They talked about email for a while. As any long-term listener probably knows, we’ve been slacking on email for most of this year. But now that we’re taking advantage of email again, a lot of fans are responding very positively.
Finally, the central topic, how to stay motivated, was nothing but gold. If you’ve ever stalled while writing, if you’ve ever hit writer’s block or lost all motivation in writing halfway through the project, then the second half of this episode should really help you!Self Publishing Podcastno1:10:51self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #135 – Forging Unbreakable Bonds with Readers Who Love Youhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-135-forging-unbreakable-bonds-with-readers-who-love-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-135-forging-unbreakable-bonds-with-readers-who-love-you
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-135-forging-unbreakable-bonds-with-readers-who-love-you/#commentsWed, 03 Dec 2014 15:06:06 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2453https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-135-forging-unbreakable-bonds-with-readers-who-love-you/feed/0This week, the guys talked about how to bond with your readers. This is definitely one of the top ten most useful episodes of the year, in my book, so you should absolutely check it out. - There is a lot of emphasis these days on producing more and wr...This week, the guys talked about how to bond with your readers. This is definitely one of the top ten most useful episodes of the year, in my book, so you should absolutely check it out.
There is a lot of emphasis these days on producing more and writing faster, and indies often focus on two main tricks to sell more books: price and promos. But also incredibly important is finding ways to connect with your readers, to slowly win them over, build a lasting relationship, and make them your true fans. How do you do that?
The guys talked about a few fantastic ways they've used in the past, such as:
Author's notes
Development diaries
Author-read audio recordings
Newsletters and autoresponders
Giving bonuses and finding other ways to surprise your readers (in a good way)
Even if you have very few readers really following your work right now, and even if your writing time is limited and you feel you don't have time for all that extra work, coming up with ways to bond with readers is an essential part of building you tribe, which will be nothing but profitable in the future.Self Publishing Podcastno1:10:23self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP #134 – Marketing Your Books with the Help of an Audio Partner (with Rachel Fulginiti)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/134/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=134
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/134/#commentsWed, 26 Nov 2014 15:00:19 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2451https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/134/feed/0We haven’t talked about audiobooks near enough yet! This week, the guys sat down with audiobook narrator Rachel Fulginiti about storytelling through audio and using popular narrators to magnify your marketing reach. - We haven’t talked about audiobooks near enough yet! This week, the guys sat down with audiobook narrator Rachel Fulginiti about storytelling through audio and using popular narrators to magnify your marketing reach.
Any long-time listener of the show will know that the guys haven’t been big fans of audio in the past. They didn’t have anything against it; they just didn’t really consume books in audio so they saw narration as very 20 percent. More recently, Sean has been binging on audio content, and his appreciation for fine narration is only growing week to week.
Add to that the fact that many narrators have their own tribes, true fans of their voice and storytelling style that follow them from book to book, no matter the author or genre, and the guys are certainly thinking that the right author-narrator team can go a lot of good.
Rachel was a charming guest, and her thoughts on audiobooks and the relationship between author and narrator were refreshing and insightful. This is worth listening to more than once, for sure!Self Publishing Podcastno1:13:56self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP #133 – Spinning Off a New Series with Ed Robertsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/133/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=133
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/133/#commentsWed, 19 Nov 2014 14:00:39 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2447https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/133/feed/1This week the guys talked with recurring guest Ed Robertson about branching off from one series to a new one in the same world. - On paper, the idea seems to be pretty sound. If you’re coming off one series that already has a sizable following and sal...This week the guys talked with recurring guest Ed Robertson about branching off from one series to a new one in the same world.
On paper, the idea seems to be pretty sound. If you’re coming off one series that already has a sizable following and sales, like Ed is with Breakers, doesn’t it make sense to start a new series in that same world? Not only would the second series promote crossover—with some readers jumping over from one series to the next—but it would also start with a rich and textured world to grow from, saving you work and allowing you to jump right into a more interesting story.
Well, thats the idea, anyway.
A good portion of the show was spent talking about how Sean and Johnny didn’t make it to the bestseller lists they were shooting for, which gave Ed a chance to rub his credentials in their faces. But he was able to give some great advice regarding how to use promos and box sets to multiply sales.Self Publishing Podcastno1:01:24self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP #132 – How to Find Your Ideal Readerhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/132/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=132
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/132/#commentsWed, 12 Nov 2014 14:00:28 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2434https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/132/feed/2This is a question/issue that many writers never even really address, which can set their growth back big time. You’re writing your guts out, and you’re incredibly proud of your story. But who is that story really for? - This week,This is a question/issue that many writers never even really address, which can set their growth back big time. You’re writing your guts out, and you’re incredibly proud of your story. But who is that story really for?
This week, the guys talked about how you can identify your ideal reader, and why that is so important. This is some great stuff.
They ask questions like: Who is reader our work now? Who will be reading in the near future? And who do we ideally want to read our work? They consider demographic stuff, and they use their imaginations to come up “ideal reader profiles,” many of which seem to hate on Unicorn Western for some reason!Self Publishing Podcastno57:54self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 131 – Creating a New York Times bestseller with Joanna Penn and David Gaughranhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/131/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=131
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/131/#commentsWed, 05 Nov 2014 14:00:50 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2431https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/131/feed/2This week the guys talked about something new and exciting they’re doing. Sean and Johnny have teamed up with David Gaughran and Joanna Penn to shoot for the New York Times bestseller list. - Learn all about their box set and how they just might make ...This week the guys talked about something new and exciting they’re doing. Sean and Johnny have teamed up with David Gaughran and Joanna Penn to shoot for the New York Times bestseller list.
Learn all about their box set and how they just might make the cut and forever become “NYT bestselling authors” for the rest of eternity!
Now, there isn’t a lot viewers can directly lean from this, unless you also plan to team up with other writers and make a box set, too. But some of the basic principles are extremely valuable. Listening to these five talk about their business strategy and mindset will do nothing but help your self-publishing business.
Plus, you have to see David Gaughran’s amazing beard!
If you want to be absolutely awesome, go out and buy the box set now! Not only do you get three amazing books for indie authors, but you also get a bonus hour of the authors talking about their business! Think of it as SPP 131-B (B as in BONUS).
Buy the box set here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OS96EYU/Self Publishing Podcastno1:08:59self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP #130 – The Pre-Production Processhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/130/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=130
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/130/#commentsWed, 29 Oct 2014 15:00:41 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2428https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/130/feed/0This week, the guys talked about the pre-production process. The way Sean and Johnny develop their stories with beats has evolved constantly with each project, and it’s always getting better. - We also had tons of great questions from viewers about ho...This week, the guys talked about the pre-production process. The way Sean and Johnny develop their stories with beats has evolved constantly with each project, and it’s always getting better.
We also had tons of great questions from viewers about how Dave handles pre-production. With Sean and Johnny always going on and on about THEIR beats and production process, it seems everyone (myself included) was very interested in what Dave does on his end.
Some very interesting stuff came out of the conversation!Self Publishing Podcastno1:14:06self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP #129 – NaNoWriMo (and How to Get Yourself Off Your Ass and Start Writing)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/129/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=129
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/129/#commentsWed, 22 Oct 2014 13:00:24 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2425https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/129/feed/0We’ve been talking about Fiction Unboxed 1.5 on the blog for a while. One key aspect of the project is that Sean and Johnny will be writing the sequel to The Dream Engine during NaNoWriMo. - But what exactly is NaNoWriMo?We’ve been talking about Fiction Unboxed 1.5 on the blog for a while. One key aspect of the project is that Sean and Johnny will be writing the sequel to The Dream Engine during NaNoWriMo.
But what exactly is NaNoWriMo? Why do so many writers take up the yearly challenge? How can a writer take some of the underlying principles of NaNo and apply them all year to keep a daily writing habit in all the months that aren’t November?
That’s what the guys talked about this week. (Well, except what NaNoWriMo is, because they didn’t really touch that.) They actually spent most of the show trying to help Dave become a more driven writer. In the end, they decided that collaboration and working with a partner is a major motivator for Dave, and perhaps for many other writers like him.
This is good stuff, and I can’t agree more with what they came up with by the end. If you ever wish you could write more (or enjoying writing more), this show could really help!
WE’VE MOVED!
From now on, the show notes and comments for each episode will be at SterlingAndStone.Net, the new digital home for EVERYTHING Johnny, Sean, and Dave do creatively.
Click here to see this episode’s show notes, transcript, and video.Self Publishing Podcastno1:08:14self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #128 – Maintaining Integrity of a Serieshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/128/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=128
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/128/#commentsWed, 15 Oct 2014 15:00:33 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2422https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/128/feed/0Let’s say you hit it out of the ballpark with your first book in a series. How do you follow that up? Do you up the ante? (Bigger and badder action!) How to you make sure the series doesn’t jump the shark or (worse) just fizzle out? - This week,Let’s say you hit it out of the ballpark with your first book in a series. How do you follow that up? Do you up the ante? (Bigger and badder action!) How to you make sure the series doesn’t jump the shark or (worse) just fizzle out?
This week, the guys talked about how to continue a series and make sure it stays awesome.
They had the topic on their mind because Sean and Dave just finished Yesterday’s Gone Season 5, and there was a lot of pressure to keep the series interesting and just as addictive as the earlier seasons were.
They have a lot of cool stuff to share about this. Even if you’re not continuing a series (yet), there is a lot of good info here.
WE’VE MOVED!
From now on, the show notes and comments for each episode will be at SterlingAndStone.Net, the new digital home for EVERYTHING Johnny, Sean, and Dave do creatively.
Click here to see this episode’s show notes, transcript, and video.Self Publishing Podcastno57:23self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #127 – Is KDP Select Worth Using Again?https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/127/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=127
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/127/#commentsWed, 08 Oct 2014 15:00:07 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2418https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/127/feed/0Previously on this show, KDP Select was compared to an abusive boyfriend that keeps begging you to come back, only to be beat down again. Exclusivity is a tough pill to swallow even if you can make a little more money in the short term. - Previously on this show, KDP Select was compared to an abusive boyfriend that keeps begging you to come back, only to be beat down again. Exclusivity is a tough pill to swallow even if you can make a little more money in the short term.
On this week’s episode, the guys discuss the ups and downs of Select, and they describe why they’re putting Yesterday’s Gone in the program for 90 days, as well as some Lexi titles and possibly more titles to come.
So is select worth it? Is it okay to make a purely tactical decision, maybe just sometimes? What if you already have your books uploaded somewhere else?
There’s a lot to think about, and the guys hash out their thinking live on the show. Great stuff!
WE’VE MOVED!
From now on, the show notes and comments for each episode will be at SterlingAndStone.Net, the new digital home for EVERYTHING Johnny, Sean, and Dave do creatively.
Click here to see this episode’s show notes, transcript, and video.Self Publishing Podcastno58:33self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #126 – Why Indie Authors Should Attend Live Eventshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/126/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=126
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/126/#commentsWed, 01 Oct 2014 15:00:57 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2413https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/126/feed/2This week (which was actually last week—welcome to the time warp!), the guys talked at length about their recent live events, namely the Author Marketing Live event and the Worldbuilders’ Summit in Austin. - This week (which was actually last week—welcome to the time warp!), the guys talked at length about their recent live events, namely the Author Marketing Live event and the Worldbuilders’ Summit in Austin.
There are a lot of benefits to meeting live with other authors, whether it’s at an event like the Summit or at a local coffee shop with some friends. Nothing beats the face-to-face communication, the energy and creativity you feel when everyone’s in the same room, bouncing ideas back and forth.
This episode is definitely worth the listen just for all the fun and energy you can feel from the guys coming off the Summit.Self Publishing Podcastno55:39self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #125 – Bookstrapping Your Way to a Bestseller with Tucker Maxhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-125-bookstrapping-your-way-to-a-bestseller-with-tucker-max/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-125-bookstrapping-your-way-to-a-bestseller-with-tucker-max
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-125-bookstrapping-your-way-to-a-bestseller-with-tucker-max/#commentsWed, 24 Sep 2014 15:00:28 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2411https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-125-bookstrapping-your-way-to-a-bestseller-with-tucker-max/feed/0This week the guys talked to Tucker Max about his new book, “Bookstrapping Your Way to a Bestseller.” Whether you’ve read the book or not, there was a lot of good stuff in this episode. - First, the show began with the new SPP intro,This week the guys talked to Tucker Max about his new book, “Bookstrapping Your Way to a Bestseller.” Whether you’ve read the book or not, there was a lot of good stuff in this episode.
First, the show began with the new SPP intro, along with an explanation for why SPP needed a new intro. The key difference is the disclaimer (“…mileage may vary…”). Always keep in mind that the decisions these guys make in their self-publishing business isn’t necessarily the best decision for everyone. Pay more attention to why they do what they do and never follow blindly.
A bit of news: The “Scrivener for Beats” videos are up on Udemy, and the folks who supported Fiction Unboxed at a level high enough to get that will also get a code to see the videos directly from Udemy.
Why use Udemy? The guys are hoping to have a lot more stuff up there in the future, so they’re racing to break into the new market now.
While waiting for Tucker to appear, the guys also talked about the restaurants they went to at last week’s summit, a conversation that only turned into a rant when Tucker got on. His opinions about restaurants are as ranty as they are entertaining.
Ah, finally, the guys started talking about self-publishing half-way through the episode. Tucker told the story behind his new “Bookstrapping” book, which he admits will be most helpful to nonfiction writers. He also ranted about the supposed “book marketing gurus” that have never launched a true bestseller themselves.
Tucker’s advice really has to do with baking marketing into your book from the start and having in mind your ideal reader. Even though he focuses mostly on nonfiction, the group did talk about the differences in marketing fiction and non and what a fiction author can do to get more exposure. They also mused about how we need a better system for book referrals, a problem someone will hopefully solve one day soon.
All in all, this show gets an A+ for ranty hilarity and helpful insights on marketing from a gang of pros.Self Publishing Podcastno1:20:21self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comIndie Breakouts with ABNA Grand Prize Winner Rysa Walker (SPP #124)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/124/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=124
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/124/#commentsWed, 17 Sep 2014 15:00:19 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2407https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/124/feed/0This week the guys talked to Rysa (with a Y) Walker about self publishing, YA, and time travel. Loads of good stuff here! - Sean and Dave were celebrating the completion of Yesterday's Gone Season 5 at the start of the episode. If you're a YG fan,This week the guys talked to Rysa (with a Y) Walker about self publishing, YA, and time travel. Loads of good stuff here!
Sean and Dave were celebrating the completion of Yesterday's Gone Season 5 at the start of the episode. If you're a YG fan, you'll be happy to know that's coming out very soon. The guys seem very proud of the story, so you'll certainly enjoy it.
Johnny, on a different note, is actually considering using 99 designs to help him design a tattoo. How cool is that? Weigh in with a comment if you support that idea.
Finally, when Rysa got on, she talked about self publishing and working with Amazon to publish. She also talked about what kind of language should and shouldn't go into YA. There was also some fun time-travel talk, which can't help but be totally amusing.
Give this show a listen and you'll quickly see why Rysa is destined to be an instant favorite SPP guest!Self Publishing Podcastno1:15:40self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 123 – Self Publishing Tutorial Videos with Garrett Robinsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/123/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=123
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/123/#commentsWed, 10 Sep 2014 15:00:59 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2404https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/123/feed/1This week, the guys had Garrett Robinson on to talk about a new and exciting video series soon to appear on Youtube and Sterling & Stone, which we’re aptly calling Nuts and Bolts. - Nuts and Bolts will be a regular, weekly series on the S&S blog.This week, the guys had Garrett Robinson on to talk about a new and exciting video series soon to appear on Youtube and Sterling & Stone, which we’re aptly calling Nuts and Bolts.
Nuts and Bolts will be a regular, weekly series on the S&S blog. Made by Garrett, they’ll walk you through the how-to’s of everything self publishing, from how to upload your book to KDP to how to design a smart sales funnel. If you’ve seen the thousands of screen-capture how-to’s already online, you may feel pretty nonplussed about this new project, but Nuts and Bolts will aim to stand apart from everything already out there by taking on a Lynda-like, professional style.
Listen to the show to find out why Mondays just might become your new favorite day!Self Publishing Podcastno1:14:17self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP #122 – Being a Healthier Writer with Roland Denzelhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/122/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=122
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/122/#commentsThu, 04 Sep 2014 01:23:02 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2401https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/122/feed/0Being a writer can be pretty unhealthy, especially since you sit on your butt all day, moving little else than your brain and fingers. That’s why Roland Denzel volunteered to come on this week and teach us a thing or two about being a healthier writer ...Being a writer can be pretty unhealthy, especially since you sit on your butt all day, moving little else than your brain and fingers. That’s why Roland Denzel volunteered to come on this week and teach us a thing or two about being a healthier writer (and no, it wasn’t just to bust Dave’s balls).
Before Roland got on, the guys talked about how amazing our Sterling & Stone site is coming along. Yes, we’re doing a lot of things at once, and yeah, we can barely keep up some times. But that doesn’t mean the site isn’t worth checking out. One new thing we’re starting is the Indie Fiction Podcast, which, if you like podcast fiction, you won’t want to miss.
Once Roland joined the party, the conversation got remarkably… healthy. Here are a few key topics they touched on:
Diet and nutrition
Roland’s Health Background
Simple stretches you can do
Ergonomic keyboards
Standing desks and treadmill desks
You might be surprised by some of the stuff Roland shared. But if you want to keep creating your art for years to come, being healthy and working healthy are things you’ll want to look into. Enjoy the show!Self Publishing Podcastno1:40:41self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #121 – Writing and Using Amazing Settingshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/121/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=121
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/121/#commentsWed, 27 Aug 2014 15:00:28 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2398https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/121/feed/0This week, the three whitest guys in podcasting chatted about setting in story. How important is it and how can you make your setting awesome? You’ll want to listen to find out. - The guys started out by talking about how amazing the new Fiction Unbox...This week, the three whitest guys in podcasting chatted about setting in story. How important is it and how can you make your setting awesome? You’ll want to listen to find out.
The guys started out by talking about how amazing the new Fiction Unboxed book is going to be. What started out as stupidly wordy transcripts turned into an awesome follow-up to Write Publish Repeat. The book tells the story of Fiction Unboxed while sowing in lessons every writer needs in their work and life.
After Dave ranted about Linkedin, the guys answered one voicemail question about promoting through KDP select and another about funnels and CTAs. Interestingly, both callers were nonfiction writers, so if you do the nonfiction thing, you should check these out!
Then, they finally go to the main topic: Setting.
Some points that were discussed:
How important setting is
How setting changes the story
How setting can be like a character in of itself
What stories/authors handled setting well (or not so well)Self Publishing Podcastno1:03:10self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comBONUS: Ask Us Anythinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/bonus-ask-us-anything/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bonus-ask-us-anything
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/bonus-ask-us-anything/#commentsWed, 20 Aug 2014 21:28:48 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2393https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/bonus-ask-us-anything/feed/0You don't want to miss this Q&A! Some great topics are covered here. - NOTE: If you want to see these G&A's in the future, you'll have to become an S&S Starter. Find out more about that HERE.You don't want to miss this Q&A! Some great topics are covered here.
NOTE: If you want to see these G&A's in the future, you'll have to become an S&S Starter. Find out more about that HERE.Self Publishing Podcastnoself,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast 120 – Hooking Readers with Amazing Cliffhangershttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/120/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=120
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/120/#commentsWed, 20 Aug 2014 15:00:36 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2390https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/120/feed/0This week the guys talked about using cliffhangers to make a series or serials addictive for readers. They talked about both good and bad examples of cliffhangers, and there are some spoilers, so BEWARE! - First,This week the guys talked about using cliffhangers to make a series or serials addictive for readers. They talked about both good and bad examples of cliffhangers, and there are some spoilers, so BEWARE!
First, Johnny opened up a mini-topic: dating your work. Should you include dates, technology, or cultural references in your work? Will that turn readers off in just a few years? Is there a way to date your work without losing future readers? They talked about how Stephen King dated his work all the time, to both good and bad effect.
But there is a danger here, and you can give your book a very short shelf life if you’re not careful. Even though the guys spent only a few minutes on the topic, it did include some interesting food for thought.
On to the main topic. The guys talked about cliffhangers: Why you use them, when you should or shouldn’t use them, and to what effect.
They included some examples of good cliffhangers. So possible spoiler warnings for Dexter and Battlestar Galactica. A few other shows that have handled cliffhangers well are Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones, though they didn’t mention any specifics for those series.
Cliffhangers can also be done poorly or at the wrong time. They showed some examples of ways to enrage your readers, which probably isn’t a good thing.
Finally, the show ended in a cliffhanger, so you’ll have to tune in next week to find out what happens to…Self Publishing Podcastno1:09:22self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast 119 – Direct Sales and Continuityhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/119/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=119
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/119/#commentsWed, 13 Aug 2014 15:00:09 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2387https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/119/feed/0This week, the guys talked about Direct Sales and why Rainmaker is helping us make SterlingandStone.Net the best author website on the internet. They (well, mostly Sean) ramble quite a lot about the subject at first,This week, the guys talked about Direct Sales and why Rainmaker is helping us make SterlingandStone.Net the best author website on the internet. They (well, mostly Sean) ramble quite a lot about the subject at first, but they end up saying some really useful stuff by the end.
First, they talked about writer health, prompted from a listener voicemail. The conversation focused mostly on how important ergonomics is for writers, since we spend most of our day sitting very still while typing our brains out.
They also showed off Sterling & Stone’s first ever hardcover, The Dream Engine. This is a big step for us, and we hope to have many more hardcovers in the future. Even though there is quite a learning curve involved, plus the lack of promise of getting any real profit from sales, having hardcover available is really making a statement about how seriously you take your books, and hopefully that will inform how seriously others take them, too.
We got an update on the Sterling & Stone logo contest, which, thanks to 99 Designs, is going awesome! There were so many options to choose from that it made Dave cranky, and once we had narrowed the choices down to a handful, the results were astoundingly beautiful.
Finally, they got to the topic of direct sales and the reasoning behind the decision to make S&S the official umbrella site for everything Johnny, Sean, and Dave are doing.
A few things that were touched on:
How Sterling and Stone came about
The benefits of direct sales
The subscription model and how to build a relationship with readers
What authors can do now to apply some of the stuff we’re doing on S&S, even if you can’t afford to use Rainmaker.
By the way, here’s the link Johnny mentioned from Garrett’s blog, about direct sales.
If you have questions, about any of this, leave them below on this blog post, and the guys will answer them on a G&A hangout tomorrow (Thursday) night.
NOTE: You’ll see that hangout, not on the usual Youtube channel, but a different one completely. Here’s the link to S&S’ new, official channel, where all SPP and BOU episodes will be from now on.Self Publishing Podcastno1:17:15self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast #118 – ACX, Voiceover, and Live Events with David Lawrencehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/118/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=118
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/118/#commentsWed, 06 Aug 2014 15:00:00 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2381https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/118/feed/0This week the SPP crew had on special guest David Lawrence. They talked about ACX and audio books, especially about how to choose between recording your own audio and hiring someone to narrate your books for you. The S&S Website Monster This week the SPP crew had on special guest David Lawrence. They talked about ACX and audio books, especially about how to choose between recording your own audio and hiring someone to narrate your books for you.
The S&S Website Monster
The guys started out by complaining about how frazzled they feel after fighting to keep Sterling and Stone up and running. In case you haven’t been paying attention (and if not, how are you reading this?), the S&S website has been consistently publishing two posts a day, thanks mostly to Sean himself. (I’ve helped a little, but Sean’s the man on this, hands down.)
SterlingandStone.Net will be the best author website on the web… one day. For now, it’s a whole lot of work because we’re moving so much stuff over to the one destination. The only thing that keeps us going is the vision of how awesome it will be in just a few more months. We can’t wait!
Another Stupid Ad Read
As long as they work, the guys will keep doing them. This week they talked about the show’s sponsor, 99 Designs, in a very apt context: Dave has set up a contest on 99 Designs to create the perfect logo for Sterling & Stone. They’ve gotten so many entries that Dave actually started to complain about it before the show!
But all complaints aside, there have been so many great entries, it’s certain at this point that S&S will soon have a rock-star logo to match the beautiful site.
David Lawrence Steals the Show
We’re accustomed to seeing guests that seem almost out of place because of how professional they look compared to the rest of us, and David Lawrence fit that bill to a T. His refined manner, professional mannerisms—even the way he looked into the camera when speaking—it all gave David a credibility that demanded attention.
And then there was all the great stuff he had to say! Lawrence talked about choosing between making your own audio book and paying someone else to do it. His advice is definitely worth a listen. Sean even got some live tips on how to improve his own fiction-reading podcast, which will hit the digital airwaves right here on S&S real soon.
All-in-all, this show is worth at least a couple of listens, and it’s one you’ll want to come back to when thinking about audio books of your own work.Self Publishing Podcastno1:23:51self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast 117 – Cracking the Romance Market (and More Genre Hopping) with Mimi Stronghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/117/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=117
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/117/#commentsWed, 30 Jul 2014 15:00:34 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2371https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/117/feed/0This week we had Mimi Strong on the show, and boy was she a fantastic guest. She’s found success in more than a couple of genres (which is why she calls herself a Genre Hobo) and she shared some of her secrets with us on the air.This week we had Mimi Strong on the show, and boy was she a fantastic guest. She’s found success in more than a couple of genres (which is why she calls herself a Genre Hobo) and she shared some of her secrets with us on the air. Whoever thought this show was too blokish should absolutely give this episode a listen!
Sterling and Stone’s Live!
First, we talked a bit about how awesome and massive this site is. Sterling and Stone is quickly becoming the best author site on the web, and it’ll only get better with time.
Kindle Unlimited
A lot of listeners have requested that we talk about Kindle Unlimited, so we did for a few minutes. The consensus was luke-warm at best.
On one hand, Unlimited is another marketing opportunity for authors, but it only applies to those in KDP Select. So, maybe, it could be worth it to put a new book through Select first before releasing wide.
On the other hand, as Johnny so frankly pointed out, exclusivity is a remarkably bad idea. Johnny likes to compare KDP Select to the abusive boyfriend that keeps begging you to come back, only to beat you again.
Mimi Strong Smacks the Blokes Around
Mimi Strong publishes in several genres under several pennames. Her strong opinions sometimes clashed with what we normally say on the show, giving a fresh debate to SPP.
Mimi put out a convincing argument about publishing under different names. She also shrugged off categories, saying indie authors pay way more attention to them than readers do.
Agree? Disagree? Listen to the full show and leave your opinion below!Self Publishing Podcastno1:21:04self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSelf Publishing Podcast 116 – What We’d Do If We Were Just Starting Outhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-116-what-wed-do-if-we-were-just-starting-out/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-podcast-116-what-wed-do-if-we-were-just-starting-out
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-116-what-wed-do-if-we-were-just-starting-out/#commentsWed, 23 Jul 2014 13:00:51 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2367https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/self-publishing-podcast-116-what-wed-do-if-we-were-just-starting-out/feed/7This week we focused on what a new author can do to build a booming indie publishing business. So many of our listeners are just starting out, and they’re either working on their first book now or have one or two books out already.This week we focused on what a new author can do to build a booming indie publishing business. So many of our listeners are just starting out, and they’re either working on their first book now or have one or two books out already. So what can someone do in that situation? We went through a few key issues that might be on your mind right now like:
Should I start a blog? And what should I blog about?
Should I write a full novel or focus on shorter books?
Should I break in with a series or release a standalone title first?
What should I do if I’ve written a Bialy-Pimps-style book? (A massive standalone that leads to nothing else.)
Should I go with KDP Select or Launch Wide?
As always, it’s good to remember that we don’t really give advice on this show. But we did try to put ourselves in the shoes of a starting author and speculate on what we’d do. For sure, the most important thing we realized was the importance of thinking long term when making business decisions. If you do that, you’re future self will love you!
Oh, and here’s the video of Garrett’s we mentioned. It’s HIL-AR-I-OUS.
Watch the video version here:Self Publishing Podcastno1:29:54self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 115 – Advanced Audiobook Talk with Ray Chasehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/115/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=115
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/115/#commentsWed, 16 Jul 2014 14:12:25 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2362https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/115/feed/0 - This week we talked to Ray Chase about audiobooks, officially welcoming him to the budding Sterling & Stone family as one of our top go-to audio guys. While we couldn’t help but dick around a little, there definitely was some advanced audiobook ta...
This week we talked to Ray Chase about audiobooks, officially welcoming him to the budding Sterling & Stone family as one of our top go-to audio guys. While we couldn’t help but dick around a little, there definitely was some advanced audiobook talk going on, too.
The Newborn Empire that is Sterling & Stone
First, we talked a little about our small team, with new support members like Archer Caldwell and Jacob Tullos, and how we’re all working to get more organized. We look forward to the episode in mid August when we’ll dig deep into Sterling and Stone, our upcoming umbrella platform for all our fiction, books, and podcasts. We’ll also be talking about direct selling. Today was mostly a cock-tease for that show.
Well, we did talk about potato salad, too, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.
Interview with Ray Chase
When Ray got on, after a million years of microphone and camera trouble, we were able to get down to the nitty and the gritty of audiobooks after ACX cut their royalty plan nearly in half.
A key issue for new writers is trying to get respectable narrators to agree to a royalty split with such low profit rates. Ray gave some great advice on that.
We also basically agreed that Ray should be the voice for most Collective Inkwell and Realm and Sands titles from now on, including Dave’s favorite books of all time, Johnny and Sean’s LOL series of sitcoms (especial Space Shuttle).
If you’re interested in getting your books to audio, this episode is a must-listen!
See the video version here:Self Publishing Podcastno1:17:56self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 114 – Launch Strategies, Categories, and Lessons Learnedhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/114/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=114
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/114/#commentsWed, 09 Jul 2014 13:00:53 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2353https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/114/feed/1We got together this Fourth of July to talk about the launch strategies we’re using for The Dream Engine [link], the book Sean and Johnny wrote in 30 days for Fiction Unboxed. Along the way, they talked about how to pre-sell a book without a presales p...We got together this Fourth of July to talk about the launch strategies we’re using for The Dream Engine [link], the book Sean and Johnny wrote in 30 days for Fiction Unboxed. Along the way, they talked about how to pre-sell a book without a presales page from Amazon, how to get into more than two categories, the importance of building a team around your publishing business, and why Sprite Zero has no idea how to make a publicity-friendly aluminum can.
Why Ray Chase is Awesome
Listeners get a real treat at the start of the show because Johnny plays a sample of the first chapter of The Dream Engine in audio, read by the ever-talented Ray Chase, who will be on next week’s show. We even get to hear part of it twice because we can’t help but screw stuff up on the show, like always.
Ray will basically be one of our go-to guys for audio from now on, so if you love his reading, you’ll love the next year or so here at Sterling & Stone.
We Answer Voicemails, Like the Pros We Are
Victoria asked about pre-ordering on Amazon. Apparently, if you know the right people in Amazon, you can get pre-orders as an indie, which is what Jason Gurley did. But for the rest of us… well, see below for Johnny and Sean’s solution.
Then Gayne from Texas asked about checking out reviewers that give you bad reviews. Sean admitted to doing that, because it helps you know how seriously you should take any negative reviews.
Pre-Orders for Indies on Amazon (Sort Of)
Finally, the guys talked about what Johnny calls the poor man’s pre-order. They’ve published The Dream Engine on the down low, not even telling their list, so they can collect reviews before the official launch date and promote on BookBub and elsewhere.
By the way, if you want to help out, you can totally buy The Dream Engine on Amazon here [link] for only 99 cents, and then post a review for it here. That would totally help us out! Plus, you know, you’re getting a 4 or 5 dollar read for less than a buck, so there’s that.
How to Get into Phantom Categories on Amazon
That’s what David Gaughran called them in his epic guide, Let’s Get Visible. We talk about how Johnny, with Darren’s help, got The Dream Engine into more than two categories. Not only that, but he also got into categories that you simply can’t register for when you publish the book through the KDP dashboard.
No matter what kind of book you’re writing/publishing, you totally want to know this stuff.
By the way, the link that Johnny mentions in the show is here, all about how to use keywords to get into those phantom categories. Really awesome stuff.
ACX—Your Best Audio Option to Date
Finally, Johnny talks about how we tried to get The Dream Engine into ACX directly, after hiring Ray to do the audio, only to discover nothing is that easy. After doing research and asking around, we ended up putting it through ACX with the exclusivity option checked, meaning we can’t even sell the books on our new site, Sterling & Stone.
It seems going through ACX is still the best deal in town for indie authors, even if the royalties recently dropped like a ton of bricks.
Here’s the video version of the show:
A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Sprite Zero has a pretty awesome logo. They just apparently don’t know where to put it on their cans. Just ask Dave. But if you already know where you want to put your logo or book cover design, you should totally think about using 99 Designs for your designer needs. In fact, if you go to 99designs.com/spp, you can get a free Power Pack upgrade, valued at 99 bucks, allowing you to get even more designer time and attention.
And of course, where would we be without our amazing Superfriends over at CaptionAccess, who provide all our transcription needs, while at the same time fighting for truth, justice, and the American way. If you ever need transcription work done, shine your bat signal over to captionaccess.com and tell them you heard about them on SPP and get 30% off.
Self Publishing Podcastno1:07:40self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 113 – Frictionless Publishing with Tom Corson-Knowleshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/113/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=113
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/113/#commentsWed, 02 Jul 2014 13:00:29 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2314https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/113/feed/0In this week’s show we talked with Tom Corson-Knowles about “Frictionless Publishing.” We also ranted about how technology hates us and looks for opportunities to kick us in the balls. Scrivener, Dropbox, and Looking for a Needle in a Needle Stack In this week’s show we talked with Tom Corson-Knowles about “Frictionless Publishing.” We also ranted about how technology hates us and looks for opportunities to kick us in the balls.
Scrivener, Dropbox, and Looking for a Needle in a Needle Stack
First, we ranted about how technology gave us a hardy F**K YOU this week when Sean and Johnny had version issues on Scrivener. That meant hours of shifting through documents to piece together all the most recent chapters of The Dream Engine.
Johnny likened it to dropping a string with a bunch of needles and having to sort through them and put them back in order. But tragedy was averted and Dream is still up and running.
By the way, if you aren’t an Unboxer, don’t worry, you haven’t lost out. You can still join now here and see all the videos and read all the content. You can also see all the freely visible blog posts here. Now that the project is finally done, that will be a record of lessons learned that you can examine any time you want.
We also had an interesting discussion about white noise. Johnny has started using white noise to help him focus on editing, as opposed to the music he listens to when writing. He calls it drowning out the sounds with controlled silence. Dave also sometimes uses white noise when writing, and his wife has started using it to fall asleep.
This is the white noise site Johnny mentioned on the show.
Tom Corson-Knowles Talks about Frictionless Publishing
Tom Corson-Knowles is the nonfiction writer of several books about business and writing, including The Kindle Publishing Bible. We had him on to talk about his concept of “Frictionless Publishing.”
He didn’t get far into his explanation when a lively debate erupted about publishing before you’re ready and presenting a good first impression to your readers. Both Johnny and Sean ended up seeing both sides to the argument. You’ll have to listen to see where you stand!
View the video version here:
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Click below for the full transcript of the show, or download the full PDF version here. A hardy thanks to CaptionAccess for providing awesome transcripts!Self Publishing Podcastno1:04:07self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 112 – How to Write More in Less Timehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/112/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=112
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/112/#commentsWed, 25 Jun 2014 13:00:26 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2300https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/112/feed/0For our first show in a while without a guest, we wanted to talk about how to be more efficient. Dave pointed out halfway through that it's ironic to talk about efficiency on a podcast in which we never get to the fucking point. But whatever, Dave. - For our first show in a while without a guest, we wanted to talk about how to be more efficient. Dave pointed out halfway through that it's ironic to talk about efficiency on a podcast in which we never get to the fucking point. But whatever, Dave.
Basically, we want to eliminate distraction behaviors and recoup that time. In my case, I've recently moved to a schedule that actually allows me to get some sleep… but to do it, and to wake up later without losing time, I've instituted an INCREDIBLY anal and strict set of behaviors for myself for the times when I DO work. The result? I actually seem to be getting more done and having more free time. All while sleeping more than an hour extra every night.
This one is chock full of habits for making slow improvements and always getting better at what we do. (And I'm sure we'll do another of these… because our efficiency presentation was so inefficient, we could have gone on for another hour, easy.)
Watch the Video Version Here:Self Publishing Podcastno1:12:26self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 111 – Building an Author Platform with Chris Garretthttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/111/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=111
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/111/#commentsWed, 18 Jun 2014 13:00:51 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2288https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/111/feed/1We started the show by talking a bit about how surprising Fiction Unboxed is turning out for us, in terms of showing us how our own process works. If you still want to join Fiction Unboxed, you still can (it's not at all necessary to follow along live),We started the show by talking a bit about how surprising Fiction Unboxed is turning out for us, in terms of showing us how our own process works. If you still want to join Fiction Unboxed, you still can (it's not at all necessary to follow along live), but even if you don't, check out a few of the freely visible blog posts to see what we're doing and what we're learning. I almost want to recommend that writers teach what they know to someone else because the learning that comes from it is awesome. Seriously; check out those blog posts. (The Day 13-15 posts are especially illustrative.)
After answering a few voicemails, we were joined by Chris Garrett, CDO at Copyblogger. Copyblogger is one of our favorite online authorities, friends, and partners, and we've been huge advocates and supporters from the beginning. (Chris is also one of the authors of the first book Sean ever read about online business. Oh, and he's also an ardent Fiction Unboxed participant, since he's learning to write fiction.)
Chris talked to us a ton about the importance of having an online platform, what that platform should entail and what its main purposes should be, and how you can get one. We also hit a few key topics like:
- Should you blog? What should you write about if so?
- How can you maximize engagement with readers and conversion to what you want to buy?"
- How should you build your email list?
- Should you sell your products direct?
This was an amazing show and we're so happy to have had Chris on. And we're also totally giddy that he likes Fiction Unboxed so much, but that's on us. :)
View the video version here:Self Publishing Podcastno1:22:21self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 110 – Social Media Strategy with Ashley Coombehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/110/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=110
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/110/#commentsWed, 11 Jun 2014 13:00:48 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2281https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/110/feed/2Before adding our guest today, we talked briefly about the very interesting things that we've discovered while writing our novel for Fiction Unboxed. Specifically, we began writing the rough draft yesterday (check out the writeup here) ,Before adding our guest today, we talked briefly about the very interesting things that we've discovered while writing our novel for Fiction Unboxed. Specifically, we began writing the rough draft yesterday (check out the writeup here) , and the whole experience has been downright exhilarating.
We also talked about partnering, and what to keep in mind when working with anyone else. Sean and I share a story from our passionate affair while Dave added anecdotes about how things are in his and Sean's long-term marriage.
Ahem. Moving on…
Our guest today was Ashley Coombe, who has a whole bunch of stuff going on… but whose most relevant role to this episode is her position with Shareist, a cool social media scheduling tool.
We're social media idiots, so Ashley (who we met in Denver) spent the show convincing us 1) that social media is very worth paying serious attention to and 2) that we can do it without pulling our hair out.
Ashley also posted a Social Media Setup Checklist on the Shareist blog, which you can get here.
View the video version here:Self Publishing Podcastno1:16:39self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 109 – Cover Design With Author and Artist Jason Gurleyhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/109/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=109
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/109/#commentsWed, 04 Jun 2014 13:00:42 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2268https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/109/feed/2Today we had on someone for whom we all have a serious professional boner, Jason Gurley. - These days, Jason is working hard on his writing (his new book Eleanor is available for pre-order now), but we've salivated over his book cover designs for a wh...Today we had on someone for whom we all have a serious professional boner, Jason Gurley.
These days, Jason is working hard on his writing (his new book Eleanor is available for pre-order now), but we've salivated over his book cover designs for a while now. Alas, he's stopped taking commissions just in time for us to miss out. Bummer! But we got the next best thing: we got Jason on the show to talk about what you can do yourself in terms of covers, what makes a good cover, and what you need to keep in mind when hiring a cover artist.
This was a great show, and it gave Dave an inferiority complex. Learn something and give Dave a heart attack… what's not to love?
View the video version here:
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:07:10self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 108 – Darren Wearmouth and Colin Barnes Talk Collaborationhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/108/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=108
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/108/#commentsWed, 28 May 2014 13:00:12 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2247https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/108/feed/2If you were on YouTube this week for the live show, you might have seen a false start, which we cancelled halfway through because Sean's internet wasn't working. WTF. - Saving us from ourselves, we were able to get a pair on that we'd been meaning to ...If you were on YouTube this week for the live show, you might have seen a false start, which we cancelled halfway through because Sean's internet wasn't working. WTF.
Saving us from ourselves, we were able to get a pair on that we'd been meaning to talk to: the second appearance of Darren Wearmouth with his co-author, Colin Barnes. We've been wanting to talk to these guys because not only can they give us a different-than-us perspective on working with other writers, but they're also business-minded. And British, which Dave likes.
Colin and Darren talked all about how they worked together on Sequence (currently with Darren's literary agent and the upcoming Critical Dawn (independently published). We got the ins and outs on how they plan, how they write, and how they work in general.
Colin and Darren also gave us a big scoop on research for targeting a book at its launch. They're better with data than us, trust us.
View the video version here:
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno50:28self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 107 – The Triumphant Return of King Ed Robertsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/107/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=107
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/107/#commentsWed, 21 May 2014 13:00:56 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2242https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/107/feed/15Today we stepped mostly away from our recent preoccupation with Fiction Unboxed (it ends May 22nd at 9:30AM) to have a fun, informative, ball-busting session with our most regular guest, Ed Robertson. - We also promised to give him his cat back if he ...Today we stepped mostly away from our recent preoccupation with Fiction Unboxed (it ends May 22nd at 9:30AM) to have a fun, informative, ball-busting session with our most regular guest, Ed Robertson.
We also promised to give him his cat back if he agreed to do the show again. Of course, we later reneged.
After a bit of wrap-up in which Sean and I talked about our trip to Copyblogger's Authority Intensive conference in Denver, we moved into talking to Ed and what he's up to.
This was interrupted by the world's worst ad read for our favorite cover design marketplace, 99Designs. We figure that it was so bad it was good, though, and were able to keep 99Designs looking awesome while we looked like total incompetent assholes. Everyone wins!
As always, Ed was a fountain of information. We learned about his upcoming projects, the future of the Breakers series, how pricing his 3-book Breakers box set at 99 cents in conjunction with select promotions earned him about 50 bazillion sales, and much more.
View the video version here:
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:22:44self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comWin a Free Weekend Mastermind With Ushttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/free-workshop/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-workshop
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/free-workshop/#commentsMon, 19 May 2014 01:17:45 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2228https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/free-workshop/feed/1Video: How We Use Scrivener To Create Story Beatshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/beats-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beats-video
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/beats-video/#commentsThu, 15 May 2014 18:13:09 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2215https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/beats-video/feed/15SPP 106 – Deciding How to Spend Your Creative Energyhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/106/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=106
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/106/#commentsWed, 14 May 2014 13:00:18 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2206https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/106/feed/8As a quick note, this is the LAST EPISODE to hit the audio feed before Fiction Unboxed ends. So if you want to get in, do it now (and man, the rewards keep stacking!) - We talked a bit about lessons learned from our Kickstarter experience before delvi...As a quick note, this is the LAST EPISODE to hit the audio feed before Fiction Unboxed ends. So if you want to get in, do it now (and man, the rewards keep stacking!)
We talked a bit about lessons learned from our Kickstarter experience before delving into the topic.
For one, our Thunderclap experiment seems to have been a huge bust. We had almost 1.1 million in social reach and over 500 joiners, but all we seem to have done was to flood the Twitter and Facebook feeds of people who already knew about the project. More analysis next week.
We also talked a bit about "Kickstarter stigma," which we hadn't anticipated. It has made getting publicity for the project much harder than anticipated and a general mixed bag. We love the response of the SPP audience, but the larger world in general has seen KICKSTARTER first and BIG IDEA second. We'd hoped it would be the other way around, and that people would think, "Look at this CRAZY COOL IDEA they had… and oh, by the way, they're funding it via Kickstarter."
The entire experience is also exhausting. More to come on this stuff a month or two down the road, after we can catch our breath.
For today's main topic, we talked about how to choose your next project… where to put your creative energy. This stemmed from a discussion recently wherein Sean and I had to bump two big projects. Most recently, our project with the codename "Axis" had to be moved until July, and this made us both really sad… but it was necessary. We talk out the thought process and juggling multiple priorities.
But it all works out, because we'll now be beginning my (Johnny's) first Guy Incognito project, written specifically for kids. It's called Connor Kwik, and we'd like it to be our Harry Potter. It's sort of like The Beam for kids.
Stay tuned!
View the video version here:
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:09:17self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 105 – Book Launching and Other Stuff with Darren Wearmouthhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/105/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=105
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/105/#commentsWed, 07 May 2014 13:00:36 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2179https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/105/feed/11As we record and broadcast this, Fiction Unboxed continues to roll along. The rewards keep stacking up and we've set an AAAAAMAZING stretch goal involving opening up a shared story world for all of us to write in.As we record and broadcast this, Fiction Unboxed continues to roll along. The rewards keep stacking up and we've set an AAAAAMAZING stretch goal involving opening up a shared story world for all of us to write in. Be sure to check it out and spread the world so that we can hit that goal! The more the project funds, the more EVERY BACKER WINS.
After a bunch of odds and ends, we got into the meat of the show by adding in Darren Wearmouth to our blokish mix. It was odd, because Darren is a fan of the show… and we're simultaneously fans of the stupendous feat Darren managed with his first and (currently) only novel, First Activation.
Darren had one book -- his first -- and hit Amazon's Top 100 with it at launch through a very cool strategy of pricing low, advertising heavily, and trying to hit critical mass. And it totally worked.
This is a great strategic show and gave us things to think about for our own future launches. Darren also promises to touch base after his next indie launch and let us know if it works a second time.
You can view the video version here:
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:16:30self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comWho Else Wants Us To Critique Their Work?https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/who-else-wants-us-to-critique-their-work/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=who-else-wants-us-to-critique-their-work
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/who-else-wants-us-to-critique-their-work/#commentsTue, 06 May 2014 14:09:59 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2150https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/who-else-wants-us-to-critique-their-work/feed/12Want to Live Forever? Here’s How You Can!https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/live-forever/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=live-forever
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/live-forever/#commentsFri, 02 May 2014 14:26:26 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2116https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/live-forever/feed/17SPP 104 – Lessons Learned at SPP’s 2-Year Mark (and the Fiction Unboxed Launch!)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/104/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=104
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/104/#commentsWed, 30 Apr 2014 16:32:01 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2056https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/104/feed/2We spent a bit of time at the beginning of this show glorying in the stupendous rallying of the SPP community during the day's debut of Fiction Unboxed. We tried not to beat the whole thing to death, but suffice to say that the project funded fully aft...We spent a bit of time at the beginning of this show glorying in the stupendous rallying of the SPP community during the day's debut of Fiction Unboxed. We tried not to beat the whole thing to death, but suffice to say that the project funded fully after only about 11 hours. YOU made that happen! Thank you!
As of the time I write this update, our current stretch goal is this: Thanks to the fantastic support of the folks at Literature & Latte, if Fiction Unboxed's funding reaches $35,000, every single backer at the $89 level or higher will receive a copy of Scrivener writing software for free! HOW AMAZING IS THAT?
Remember, the more the project funds, the more EVERY BACKER WINS. We have some absolutely amazing further stretch goals planned, so please… go out and tell your friends! Tweeting and Facebook are great ways to spread the word, but personal recommendations -- via email, on your blog, etc. -- are even better.
(Oh, and if you haven't done it yet, please head on over and sign up for our Thunderclap. That'll help spread the word… but if our "Thunderclap" goes off, we're eager to share the results with you for your own use.)
We spent the rest of the show talking through what's changed for us since we started the podcast two full years ago. What have we done that works? What have we done that didn't work? We made some good moves and some bad ones, but we're always pushing and trying new things. And of course, we always report it all back to you!
HAPPY 2-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, SELF PUBLISHING PODCAST!!
View the video version here:
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:08:44self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comYou Were Right, and So Was Dave. THIS is What We Did About it!https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/you-were-right-and-so-was-dave-this-is-what-we-did-about-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=you-were-right-and-so-was-dave-this-is-what-we-did-about-it
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/you-were-right-and-so-was-dave-this-is-what-we-did-about-it/#commentsWed, 30 Apr 2014 11:21:02 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=2053https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/you-were-right-and-so-was-dave-this-is-what-we-did-about-it/feed/1Fiction Unboxed: Updates 1-3https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-updates-1-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fiction-unboxed-updates-1-3
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-updates-1-3/#commentsFri, 25 Apr 2014 15:52:49 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1927https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-updates-1-3/feed/3SPP 103 – Big Marketing Strategy and Selling Directhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/103/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=103
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/103/#commentsWed, 23 Apr 2014 13:00:42 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1917https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/103/feed/0Before we got started, we announced that our Kickstarter project Fiction Unboxed -- where we're writing a book live in 30 days and letting the world watch -- will be live by the time this post goes up! If you want to join us,Before we got started, we announced that our Kickstarter project Fiction Unboxed -- where we're writing a book live in 30 days and letting the world watch -- will be live by the time this post goes up! If you want to join us, be sure to do it now because the best spots are limited!
Also, we're experimenting with Thunderclap -- a mass-broadcast social media blast. But for our Thunderclap to work, we need 500 people to be part of none of it will happen and we won't have anything to report to you. Joining it take only about 15 seconds, so please head on over and sign up.
This was an intensely full episode, and I'm not even going to attempt to explain all of the little details. Suffice to say that it was all about a big addition to our sales strategy, based around changing our "join the mailing list offer," adding an autoresponder to bond with members and "tell our story," and adding a direct sales channel for some new bundles.
One by one:
1. The Realm & Sands "offer" page. This is the page we'll use to build our list. While it's in progress, the offer page is here, but by the time you read this, it may have moved to its permanent home here.
2. An autoresponder series to come. Sean is writing this now, and we'll implement it as a series of emails people will get AFTER they join our list, to bond and lead people through our varied catalogue.
3. A new series of book bundles for sale. As of recording, this was still in progress, but it's pretty damn cool. We'll report on this as the experiment continues!
There's a lot more to this, though, and a ton of detail within what's above, so be sure to listen to this one a few times!
You can view the video version here:
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:26:33self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comFiction Unboxed Is Here!https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-is-here/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fiction-unboxed-is-here
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-is-here/#commentsTue, 22 Apr 2014 16:22:04 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1905https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-is-here/feed/3Fiction Unboxed: Ask Us Anything!https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-ask-us-anything/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fiction-unboxed-ask-us-anything
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-ask-us-anything/#commentsMon, 21 Apr 2014 17:21:59 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1902https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/fiction-unboxed-ask-us-anything/feed/3Hey, before you watch this video or listen to the audio of this episode, could you do us a favor? If you haven't Thunderclapped yet, please do. It takes 15 seconds and will make our goals (and yours) happen faster. - CLICK HERE TO THUNDERCLAP! - Hey, before you watch this video or listen to the audio of this episode, could you do us a favor? If you haven't Thunderclapped yet, please do. It takes 15 seconds and will make our goals (and yours) happen faster.
CLICK HERE TO THUNDERCLAP!
And here's the video!Self Publishing Podcastno1:31:27self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comThe “Fiction Unboxed” Kickstarter Rewardshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/rewards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rewards
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/rewards/#commentsThu, 17 Apr 2014 21:58:33 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1858https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/rewards/feed/28SPP 102 – Realities of Being a Full-Time Writer and Fiction Unboxed Rewardshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/102/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=102
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/102/#commentsWed, 16 Apr 2014 13:00:40 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1810https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/102/feed/11This might have been our least-organized show ever, but it's only because we're working so damn hard for you, folks! - We started by talking about how nutso things have been lately, then segued neatly into a few voicemail questions. - After this,This might have been our least-organized show ever, but it's only because we're working so damn hard for you, folks!
We started by talking about how nutso things have been lately, then segued neatly into a few voicemail questions.
After this, we moved the part where we revealed the REWARD LEVELS for our upcoming Kickstarter project "Fiction Unboxed" -- which now has a fantastic new video! Watch it here, wherein we're going to write a book, live, in 30 days and let the world watch, launching April 22nd.
And why do you care so much about the reward levels? BECAUSE IF YOU JOIN THE PROJECT ON THE FIRST DAY, YOU GET SHIT CHEAPER. That's how it works, yo.
We talk through most of the levels in the podcast -- as well as the rationale behind all of them, so that you can learn from our experience if you decide to crowdfund a project yourself -- but here are a few of the most important ones:
$49 is the "All Access Pass" level.
We assume this is the no-brainer level for most of you. It's where you get access to everything that matters -- video/audio of our story and marketing meetings, access to the drafts (raw, edited, polished) as they're created, digital copies of the book we produce when it's done AND all of our transcripts, assembled into a SECOND book (a reference book that comprises a record of Fiction Unboxed), and so on.
BUT IF YOU FUND THIS LEVEL ON DAY 1, IT'S ONLY $39. (Look for the level identical to the $49 level, except that it's only $39.)
There's also a "no-brainer plus" level for $99 (with a bunch more stuff), but that one is only $89 for early joiners.
If you want to be sure not to miss out on "early joiner" discounts and extra rewards, be sure to join the Fiction Unboxed mailing list here.
You'll also see a "participation level" for a bit more, where you can vote on the book's story and direction, plus joining in live Q&A and more.
We also mentioned the two highest-level rewards, because if you're thinking about picking them up early (they're limited), you'll want to think about it, ask your spouse, etc. They are:
The $5000 level includes everything at the lower levels plus an in-person weekend story workshop in Austin, Texas with all three of us.
The maximal $10,000 level includes the workshop and everything else… but also has us editing and polishing your manuscript, creating a custom marketing plan for you, and having you on the podcast to promote and tell your story.
After all of this, we still had energy to talk about some reality-check stuff about being a full-time writer. However, I don't have time to write it out here, so you'll need to listen or read the transcript (which we'll have done in a few months… there's a bit of a lag here for "real-time" transcripts, sorry.)
So yes, listen in or hang tight, because we talked about what it's REALLY like.
(If you must READ this kind of stuff and don't want to wait for the transcript, it's a lot of harsh-reality stuff and downer things we're known for, and this post about self-publishing realities may suit you in the meantime.
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6isdADyj2v0
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:28:13self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comWhy I Don’t Hate Fiction Unboxedhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/why-i-dont-hate-fiction-unboxed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-i-dont-hate-fiction-unboxed
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/why-i-dont-hate-fiction-unboxed/#commentsTue, 15 Apr 2014 16:40:47 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1775https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/why-i-dont-hate-fiction-unboxed/feed/67 Reasons Why Most Authors Failhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/7-reasons-why-most-authors-fail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=7-reasons-why-most-authors-fail
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/7-reasons-why-most-authors-fail/#commentsMon, 14 Apr 2014 13:12:16 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1713https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/7-reasons-why-most-authors-fail/feed/22What Fiction Unboxed Is (And What it Isn’t)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/what-fiction-unboxed-is/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-fiction-unboxed-is
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/what-fiction-unboxed-is/#commentsFri, 11 Apr 2014 17:44:33 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1668https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/what-fiction-unboxed-is/feed/7SPP 101 – Selling Your First 1000 Copies with Tim Grahlhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/101/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=101
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/101/#commentsWed, 09 Apr 2014 13:00:12 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1663https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/101/feed/8We opened this week's show by talking more about our upcoming Kickstarter project "Fiction UNboxed", wherein we're going to write a book, live, in 30 days (from a total blank slate to publication in ebook, print, and audio) and let the world watch. - We opened this week's show by talking more about our upcoming Kickstarter project "Fiction UNboxed", wherein we're going to write a book, live, in 30 days (from a total blank slate to publication in ebook, print, and audio) and let the world watch.
If you haven't read the details on Fiction UNboxed yet, you really should. It's something the world hasn't seen before. We're thinking of it as a "concert" for writing, and we hope it'll demystify the idea of how to tell stories and free a lot of writers' minds.
Oh, and be sure to sign up for the notification list because we're going to give out an awesome bonus (a to-be-determined video tutorial) for people who fund us at a certain level on the FIRST DAY.
After that, we had on our guest Tim Grahl, author of Your First 1000 Copies. And man, is Tim a man cut from our same cloth. He gets that successful authors really need to be marketers too.
Tim confirmed a lot of what we talk about a lot and gave us plenty of great new ideas too… some having to do with our "offer" to get readers on our mailing list and one biggie about how we need to start an autoresponder for our new subscribers YESTERDAY.
Oh, and that site Tim mentioned for A/B testing of all sorts of things? That's PickFu.com.
This one is chock full of nuts, folks. Listen up.
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db6WGvM1qVg
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastnoself,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comMilk Shift (“Your Turn” Winner, With Edits and Comments)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/milk-shift/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=milk-shift
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/milk-shift/#commentsTue, 08 Apr 2014 11:11:47 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1650https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/milk-shift/feed/13How to Write Fast (Sean’s 3-Step Flow)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/how-to-write-fast/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-write-fast
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/how-to-write-fast/#commentsMon, 07 Apr 2014 13:00:38 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1528https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/how-to-write-fast/feed/12Your Turnhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/your-turn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=your-turn
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/your-turn/#commentsThu, 03 Apr 2014 13:00:50 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1525https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/your-turn/feed/40SPP 100 – 100th Episode Spectacular and Kickstarter Revealhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/100/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=100
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/100/#commentsWed, 02 Apr 2014 13:00:52 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1625https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/100/feed/4This was the episode where we finally revealed that enticing, exciting, tantalizing upcoming Kickstarter project we've been telling you all about. - Ready? Look away if you don't want spoilers. - For our Kickstarter project,This was the episode where we finally revealed that enticing, exciting, tantalizing upcoming Kickstarter project we've been telling you all about.
Ready? Look away if you don't want spoilers.
For our Kickstarter project, we're going to write a book, live, in 30 days, and let the world watch.
On day 1, we'll have no idea of anything about the book: its title, its genre, any of the characters, anything in the plot, etc. On day 30, we'll have a finished book, in ebook, print, and hopefully even audio, ready for distribution.
We're going to show you everything. We'll post each day's new words, post every stage of the ongoing edit, record our story meetings and show you those, share all of our emails about the project, and so on. YOU WILL SEE EXACTLY HOW WE MAKE A STORY FROM NOTHING.
We're super excited about the idea. The actual Kickstarter campaign begins on April 22, and we'll reveal more in the coming weeks.
But we need something from you first! See, we're going to give out a bonus to people who fund the campaign at a certain level (to be announced) on the first day. We'd like for that bonus to be some sort of video training: us showing you how to do something, step by step.
We need your suggestions for what you'd like us to show you in that video training, so please contact us here and let us know!
Be sure to sign up for the Kickstarter notification list now so that you won't miss the release… you ARE going to want to get that bonus, and it's only available on the first day!
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj3nUCRKx1s
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:11:47self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,com11 Stories You Can Start Telling By Dinnertimehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/story-prompts-1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=story-prompts-1
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/story-prompts-1/#commentsTue, 01 Apr 2014 13:00:01 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1516https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/story-prompts-1/feed/19Give Us 30 Days to Change How You Think About Writinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/30-days-change-how-you-think/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=30-days-change-how-you-think
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/30-days-change-how-you-think/#commentsMon, 31 Mar 2014 13:00:54 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1519https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/30-days-change-how-you-think/feed/51SPP 099 – Our Writing and Creative Processhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/99/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=99
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/99/#commentsWed, 26 Mar 2014 13:00:49 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1546https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/99/feed/17This week, we talked a whole lot about a topic that listeners have been clamoring for: our creative process. - We've talked a lot lately about our upcoming Kickstarter project, which will deal with the Realm & Sands (that's Johnny and Sean) writing p...This week, we talked a whole lot about a topic that listeners have been clamoring for: our creative process.
We've talked a lot lately about our upcoming Kickstarter project, which will deal with the Realm & Sands (that's Johnny and Sean) writing process. This episode was kind of a primer, dealing with the evolution of process between The Beam: Season One and the newly wrapped The Beam: Season Two, which will be released on May 1.
(By the way, be sure to join the Realm & Sands "Outlaws" list to get first crack at The Beam's new season when it's available, because it'll be discounted for the first few days and you won't want to miss it.)
We covered the ways in which the Realm & Sands process has evolved (and continues to evolve), how Collective Inkwell's process compares, how solo writers can adapt our collaborative processes, and more.
As a bonus, we also talked about how fun it is to intersect works in the same world without making each dependent on the others. (Our rule for Beam world stories is that we can't require anyone to read the other works, but the other works can add to the enjoyment of each other and leave Easter eggs. Specifically, we talk about how much gonzo fun we've had cross-pollenating The Beam, Lexi Maxxwell's erotic The Future of Sex series, and our fictional author Sterling Gibson's Plugged and his forthcoming books. (Side note: We and Lexi have been unable to get The Future of Sex price-matched to free on Amazon, but you can read it free on Lexi's blog … just make sure you understand that it contains some very explicit sex scenes.)
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVnmYKLkBMA
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:12:53self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 098 – Audiobooks and Boricio with Voice Actor Ray Chasehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/98/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=98
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/98/#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 13:00:01 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1509https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/98/feed/14This week, we had Ray Chase, the voice actor who played Boricio on the audiobook version of Yesterday's Gone, on the show. Ray was a big old handful of hilarity and fun. - Ray's voice acting is absolutely phenomenal,This week, we had Ray Chase, the voice actor who played Boricio on the audiobook version of Yesterday's Gone, on the show. Ray was a big old handful of hilarity and fun.
Ray's voice acting is absolutely phenomenal, and we're really hoping to have him read a part for The Beam, which we recently signed into audiobook production (seasons 1-3) with Podium Publishing.
But Ray isn't just an audiobook narrator! Oh, no, he does a ton more. Check out Funsplosion for a lot more awesomeness, and if you're into it, consider backing his Kickstarter. We did!
Before Ray joined us, we talked about a few other things, partially centering on Sean and I spending four days in person last weekend talking through a massive story meeting.
In a few days on the SPP blog, we're going to be running a kind of 30-day "bootcamp" designed to address some of the biggest roadblocks we hear from listeners and readers. It is, of course, totally free. If you want to know when that begins, be sure to join our Repeaters list.
We gave a bit more detail on an upcoming Kickstarter project we're going to be doing, on our process and how other writers can take what we do and use it to become more productive. We'll tell you all about it in two weeks for SPP episode #100, but suffice to say that we've never seen anyone else do anything quite like it.
We announced the DEBUT OF THE WRITE. PUBLISH. REPEAT. AUDIOBOOK! You can get the WPR audiobook here, and we're so, so, so proud of it… and thankful to our narrator on this project, Simon Whistler from the Rocking Self Publishing Podcast. (And we also put a TON of other audiobooks into production last week!
We played through a few voicemails.
We talked about some new things we've learned about glossy vs. matte covers for our print books, and why we'd choose one or the other in a given circumstance.
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUwQ_74FyAM
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:34:44self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 097 – Fan Engagement and Cross-Genre Promotion with Lexi Maxxwellhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/97/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=97
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/97/#commentsWed, 12 Mar 2014 13:00:29 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1489https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/97/feed/12Yay! We finally managed to get Lexi Maxxwell back on the show! - You may or may not care about Lexi's erotic works, but you should care about her as she relates to us. We produce Lexi and enjoy working with her,Yay! We finally managed to get Lexi Maxxwell back on the show!
You may or may not care about Lexi's erotic works, but you should care about her as she relates to us. We produce Lexi and enjoy working with her, but we also use her growing empire as a testing ground for the things we later do on our empires: working on her website, her Facebook page, etc. She's a super-smart gal with a knack for marketing and fan connection, and we can all learn a lesson or two from her.
Lexi was her usual dirty self on this show, so consider yourself warned. (But we'd all love it if you'd head over and "like" her Facebook page -- oh, and while you're at it, you can "like" the SPP page too. )
We talked about how to make your fans love you, how to reach new readers by considering your work to be part of two genres, and a ton more.
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:12:24self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 096 – Showing Your Work and Stealing Like an Artist with Austin Kleonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/96/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=96
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/96/#commentsWed, 05 Mar 2014 14:00:23 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1472https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/96/feed/15Featured image credit Blue Lily Photography - Today's guest was Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist and the follow-up, Show Your Work. This was our longest SPP episode yet, so buckle in. You're going to feel so damn inspired. - (Incidentally,Featured image credit Blue Lily Photography
Today's guest was Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist and the follow-up, Show Your Work. This was our longest SPP episode yet, so buckle in. You're going to feel so damn inspired.
(Incidentally, we gave Austin adequate chances to escape but he kept saying he wanted to stay. Do you hear that, police out there investigating a hostage claim?)
Dave has a huge boner over Austin's work, and hence is to thank for wrangling him onto our show. Dave wrote a tribute post here, and I have to say that after reading Austin's stuff myself, I basically want to invite him to be our fourth host of SPP. What he says is what we say, and what we say is what he says.
Show Your Work is all about networking without networking and marketing without marketing. To increase exposure to your work, SHOW your work. For a preview, here are a bunch of book interiors he's already shared.
This was a hell of a show. We even asked him about putting a unicorn in a story as a way of mashing-up our inspirations. Enjoy!
You can watch the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i-DerlGKZ0
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:45:54self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comBONUS EPISODE: The 2/28/14 “Ask Us Anything” hangouthttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/hangout022814/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hangout022814
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/hangout022814/#commentsSun, 02 Mar 2014 14:58:24 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1465https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/hangout022814/feed/4Hangout #2! Here ya go, kiddies! - If you'd like to participate in future hangouts (we do one every month), be sure to join our "repeaters" list. That's the list we tell about such things, and then you can join us and get your questions answered live! Hangout #2! Here ya go, kiddies!
If you'd like to participate in future hangouts (we do one every month), be sure to join our "repeaters" list. That's the list we tell about such things, and then you can join us and get your questions answered live!
Here's the YouTube version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F29b7qIQtSsSelf Publishing Podcastno1:51:25self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 095 – Facebook Marketing, Kickstarter, and other Miscellanyhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/95/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=95
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/95/#commentsWed, 26 Feb 2014 14:00:07 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1450https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/95/feed/0This is a bit of a mishmash show because we had a guest scheduled and he never showed up. So we had to wing it without a clear topic. Hopefully we didn't do too shittily. - First of all, some announcements: - 1. SPP is now sponsored by 99designs This is a bit of a mishmash show because we had a guest scheduled and he never showed up. So we had to wing it without a clear topic. Hopefully we didn't do too shittily.
First of all, some announcements:
1. SPP is now sponsored by 99designs
99designs is a great service we've used for book cover design and talked about as awesome BEFORE THEY WERE EVEN PAYING US. If you do need a book cover or any other graphic service, head on over to 99designs.com/spp and they'll give you a Power Pack Upgrade, normally priced at $99, for FREE.
2. SPP now has a Facebook page
We have BIG plans for SPP's Facebook presence, but it begins with a contest. If we reach certain numbers of Facebook "likes," EVERY fan of the page will get a prize. Head on over to the page, Like it, and give us your thoughts on what the prize should be. (The contest starts next week.)
3. We're going to be doing a Kickstarter campaign
Listen to the episode for details, and listen in future weeks for further info. You're going to love it.
For most of this week's show, we talked about Facebook marketing, which Sean has been doing a lot of, as it pertains to promoting authors and selling books. There's more mishmash in here too. Hey… we did our best, making up topics on the spot to fill a no-guest show!
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi7ZGNNUBjI
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:02:07self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 094 – Book Launching with Charlie Hoehnhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/94/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=94
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/94/#commentsThu, 20 Feb 2014 14:00:37 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1419https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/94/feed/0This week's guest was Charlie Hoehn , who Dave apparently has a crush on. Dave also referred to our thumbnails on the YouTube version, from Charlie to me (Johnny) to Sean to Dave himself, as "the devolution of man." - This week's guest was Charlie Hoehn , who Dave apparently has a crush on. Dave also referred to our thumbnails on the YouTube version, from Charlie to me (Johnny) to Sean to Dave himself, as "the devolution of man."
Charlie recently launched a new book that the anxiety sufferers among you should check out (Play It Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety), but more relevant to our audience is the fact that Charlie has been behind the scenes of some major book launches, most notably Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Body. So we drilled him for info.
Among Charlie's tips are:
• Get beta readers to help you decide and refine your book's content (more for nonfiction than fiction)
• Do research about what's hot BEFORE writing anything (yes, even for fiction, if only for positioning)
• Get beta readers
• Use your network -- and if you don't have one, develop one now
• Get beta readers
This show's transcript is available in full below the video, provided by our sponsor CaptionAccess. If you do any multimedia work at all, you need to be providing transcripts or captioning. Even setting aside the search engine benefits of transcripts, the deaf and hard of hearing market is huge, and almost nobody is serving them. Does that sound like an opportunity to anyone, in addition to making you a generally cool person or company?
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKJOQFO6BEQ
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:25:24self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 093 – Multiple Streams of Writing Income and Speaking with Joanna Pennhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/93/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=93
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/93/#commentsThu, 13 Feb 2014 14:00:29 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1405https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/93/feed/9This week we had back our friend and SPP regular contributor Joanna Penn. Joanna is always way ahead of the curve on new and breaking trends that we all should be paying attention to, so we collectively paid a ton of attention. - (In fact,This week we had back our friend and SPP regular contributor Joanna Penn. Joanna is always way ahead of the curve on new and breaking trends that we all should be paying attention to, so we collectively paid a ton of attention.
(In fact, we paid SO much attention that we started her appearance early and kept her late enough that she ran out of wine, and we still didn't really cover enough.)
We started out by talking about speaking opportunities for writers (Sean and I want to get paid to speak), based around Joanna's conveniently timed new book Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives, and Other Introverts, which you should go and pick up if you're at all interested in speaking -- whether you consider yourself an introvert or not.
(I've read it, so I can tell you it's awesome. So go get it.)
Throughout the rest of the show, we talked about how to take ONE book and turn it into MANY income streams by exploiting all the rights that are available and exploitable: making audiobooks, creating various versions, translating your work and selling it into new and growing markets, and outright selling your rights so that other people (who know those markets better and have reach into them) can sell into them for you.
This episode is JAM-PACKED! Enjoy, and don't forget to check out Joanna's book if you're considering speaking as a publicity avenue or income source.
This show's transcript is available in full below the video, provided by our sponsor CaptionAccess. If you do any multimedia work at all, you need to be providing transcripts or captioning. Even setting aside the search engine benefits of transcripts, the deaf and hard of hearing market is huge, and almost nobody is serving them. Does that sound like an opportunity to anyone, in addition to making you a generally cool person or company?
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC7S7gJGgD4
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:12:37self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 092 – Thinking as a Long-Term Writer with Lindsay Burokerhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/92/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=92
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/92/#commentsThu, 06 Feb 2014 14:00:55 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1387https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/92/feed/5After a false start last week, we got Lindsay Buroker on the show for this episode. - Lindsay has been in self-publishing for long than we have and has been speaking on her blog about the industry and how-to and why-to and general -to sorts of things ...After a false start last week, we got Lindsay Buroker on the show for this episode.
Lindsay has been in self-publishing for long than we have and has been speaking on her blog about the industry and how-to and why-to and general -to sorts of things for authors for longer than we have. She's also somehow managed to develop a legion of loyal fans of her Emperor's Edge series who were numerous enough, devoted enough, and proactive enough to start up a fan forum to discuss her books and to write fan fiction. That's pretty cool.
In this episode, one thing that kept coming up over and over was the idea that you can't think short-term in this business. The market will change, tactics will come in and out of favor, and the "now" solution isn't always the best solution. We get mired in what's happening this second, but you have to think like a businessperson and always remember that persistent writers are going to be writing for their whole lives. So you've got to plan that way.
This show's transcript is available in full below the video, provided by our sponsor CaptionAccess. If you do any multimedia work at all, you need to be providing transcripts or captioning. Even setting aside the search engine benefits of transcripts, the deaf and hard of hearing market is huge, and almost nobody is serving them. Does that sound like an opportunity to anyone, in addition to making you a generally cool person or company?
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_FacwZGZF4
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:14:35self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comBONUS EPISODE: The 1/30/14 “Ask Us Anything” hangouthttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/013014-hangout/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=013014-hangout
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/013014-hangout/#commentsSat, 01 Feb 2014 17:06:02 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1382https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/013014-hangout/feed/2This isn't an official episode, but I figured I'd put it on the feed because I know that *I* would never want to watch a 1.5 hour YouTube video if I were in your shoes, yet might like to hear what we talked about on the hangout. - This isn't an official episode, but I figured I'd put it on the feed because I know that *I* would never want to watch a 1.5 hour YouTube video if I were in your shoes, yet might like to hear what we talked about on the hangout.
If you'd like to participate in future hangouts (we plan to do one every month), be sure to join our "repeaters" list. That's the list we tell about such things, and then you can join us and get your questions answered live!
Here's the YouTube version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7CUD0ssfwSelf Publishing Podcastno1:35:34self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 091 – Answering Your Self-Publishing Questionshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/91/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=91
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/91/#commentsThu, 30 Jan 2014 14:00:47 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=1375https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/91/feed/2After a stupid debacle wherein Google shit itself and made our usual Google Hangouts On Air impossible, we had to postpone the guest we had scheduled until next week. We'd planned to have Lindsay Buroker on, but all we did today was to waste her time.After a stupid debacle wherein Google shit itself and made our usual Google Hangouts On Air impossible, we had to postpone the guest we had scheduled until next week. We'd planned to have Lindsay Buroker on, but all we did today was to waste her time. Sorry, Lindsay!
Because we didn't have other plans in place, we answered voicemails and live questions. Here are a few of them:
• What's our opinion of mind-mapping software Scapple?
• How do you avoid genre cliches when writing in a genre?
• Is it possible to self-publish games via self-pub platforms?
• Are we planning to publish ongoing updates to our self publishing book Write. Publish. Repeat. as the indie publishing landscape changes?
And lastly, we took a voicemail from Demelza, who had such a wonderful down-under accent that we missed her question. It had something about publishing episodes versus full seasons.
This show's transcript is available in full below the video, provided by our sponsor CaptionAccess. If you do any multimedia work at all, you need to be providing transcripts or captioning. Even setting aside the search engine benefits of transcripts, the deaf and hard of hearing market is huge, and almost nobody is serving them. Does that sound like an opportunity to anyone, in addition to making you a generally cool person or company?
You can view the video version here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s74kfEVgNFw
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Transcripts of The Self Publishing Podcast are provided by CaptionAccess.
You can download the PDF version of this week's show here, or click the box below to read it in-line on this page.Self Publishing Podcastno1:02:41self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 090 – Blogging, Audience Engagement, and Critical Masshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/90/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=90
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/90/#commentsThu, 23 Jan 2014 14:00:03 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=894https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/90/feed/4We started the show with a few announcements: - • We're holding our first-ever SPP "ask us anything" Google Plus Hangout on Thursday, 1/30 at 9pm Eastern time. You should be able to find it here at that time.We started the show with a few announcements:
• We're holding our first-ever SPP "ask us anything" Google Plus Hangout on Thursday, 1/30 at 9pm Eastern time. You should be able to find it here at that time. (We will also record this and post it on our usual YouTube channel, so if you don't have live questions, you may just want to wait.)
• Sean and I -- and, it turns, out, MAYBE DAVE -- will be at the South by Southwest (Interactive) festival from March 7-9. We're not hosing a formal meet-up, but we'll hang out and post our whereabouts on social media, so we hope you'll watch our social media accounts and come hang out if you're there.
• Our previous SPP guest, writer-specialist lawyer M. Scott Boone, is blogging a copyright course. You can follow it for free here.
• Lastly, the Unicorn Western 1 and Fat Vampire 1 Podiobooks (podcast audiobooks) are now available. You can find them online here or can search iTunes to find them.
Now, on to the show.
We talked a lot about our marketing plans for 2014, mainly centering on what we've already done with the Realm and Sands blog. Our first (and very well-received) blog post was What Defines You? and was followed up with Is Revenge Ever Justified? We have high hopes that doing "old Johnny style epic blog posts" will help us to engage with readers and help us bond people to our fiction.
We also talked about how Lexi Maxxwell is doing the same thing on her erotica blog, starting with her first post This is Who I Am (link not entirely NSFW but definitely racy). We talked about how we're officially working with Lexi as producers, so you'll see a lot of similarities between her marketing styles and ours this year… because we're pushing her as much as she's pushing us.
This show's transcript is available in full below the video, provided by our sponsor CaptionAccess. If you do any multimedia work at all, you need to be providing transcripts or captioning. Even setting aside the search engine benefits of transcripts, the deaf and hard of hearing market is huge, and almost nobody is serving them. Does that sound like an opportunity to anyone, in addition to making you a generally cool person or company?
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yujLlh4rjA
The full show transcript follows, or you can download the PDF version here.
ROUGH EDITED COPY
SELF PUBLISHING PODCAST
#90
JANUARY, 2014
CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY:
CAPTIONACCESS
contact@captionaccess.com
www.captionaccess.com
* * * * *
This is being provided in a rough-draft format. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings
* * * *
Introduction
Welcome to the Self-Publishing Podcast, where if you want something done right you've got to do it yourself.
Now, here are your hosts, three guys who spend most of their time up in the trees: Johnny, Sean and Dave.
JOHNNY B. TRUANT: Hello everyone welcome to the Self-Publishing Podcast, the podcast that's all about how to get your words out into the world without contending with agents, publishers, or the other gatekeepers in traditional publishing.
I'm Johnny B. Truant, here with the other two thirds of the dynamic trio: Sean Platt, and David Wright. You know it's funny, Dave, my wife has gotten to the point where she, after the show, asks:
How was the podcast?
Okay, they were good.
Any new Dave stories?
And I told her about how the Dave stories on the last one totally kind of bummed me out and made me want to slit my wrists. I'm like yeah; I'm down because Dave told stories.
SEAN PLATT: I wonder how many --
JOHNNY B. TRUANT: --People say the exact same thing?
SEAN PLATT: How many lives Dave is a part of? I mean how many shadows has he brought into households across the nation?
JOHNNY B. TRUANT: You say very few,Self Publishing Podcastno1:15:34self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 089 – The Indie Report and Audiobooks with Simon Whistlerhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/89/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=89
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/89/#commentsThu, 16 Jan 2014 14:00:02 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=890https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/89/feed/9Today we had on Simon Whistler, the smooth-voiced (and sexy-voiced, according to Dave) host of the Rocking Self Publishing Podcast … which has been called "the bizarro version of SPP." - Basically, we had Simon on because we're too lazy to interview a...Today we had on Simon Whistler, the smooth-voiced (and sexy-voiced, according to Dave) host of the Rocking Self Publishing Podcast … which has been called "the bizarro version of SPP."
Basically, we had Simon on because we're too lazy to interview as many indie authors as he does on his show, and we figured he could give us the Cliff's Notes of what successful indies are doing out there.
Some highlights: Get a lot of books out there in the world, be very patient and persistent, be creative and outside-the-box about your lead generation strategies, and "be willing to try everything." Simon has heard a lot from other indies, and he gave us the greatest hits in aggregate.
Simon is also an audiobook narrator (unless the sky falls, it looks like he'll be doing the audiobook of Write. Publish. Repeat. for us), and he gives us some of the key things to think about when you consider doing audiobook version of your books, such as how to choose a narrator, whether or not audiobooks are worth it, how people outside the USA may be able to use the no-out-of-pocket-cost-possible service ACX, and more.
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohq1PM8Sr2sSelf Publishing Podcastno1:05:06self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 088 – Self-Publishing Plans for 2014https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/88/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=88
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/88/#commentsThu, 09 Jan 2014 14:00:09 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=883https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/88/feed/2After our vacations, we hit the bricks running, ready to talk about how we're going to turn 2013's production into 2014's gold. - In Sean's phrasing, last year was about producing. This year is about synergy. - After our vacations, we hit the bricks running, ready to talk about how we're going to turn 2013's production into 2014's gold.
In Sean's phrasing, last year was about producing. This year is about synergy.
Which basically means that as you watch or listen to the show this year, you'll hear us talk more and more about how we're trying to get more out of what we have rather than necessarily producing more (though we'll certainly be producing plenty too). That means:
• Focusing on marketing and advertising
• Creating follow-ups to our products -- sequels, Season Twos, and so on
• Making the various parts of our business (nonfiction vs. fiction, our various publishing companies and wings) work better together, so that all support the efforts of the other
• Better social activity and viral stuff
What I'm most excited about is the blogging. Sean and I are going to build out the Realm & Sands blog with what I think of as "epic blog posts," similar to what I used to write at my old site. These posts, however, will focus on lessons learned through the telling of stories… which means they should help us sell and promote our fiction.
Here's to a great 2014!
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ISgiEzCWqcSelf Publishing Podcastno1:13:35self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 087 – Best Self-Publishing Lessons of 2013https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/87/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=87
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/87/#commentsThu, 26 Dec 2013 17:00:56 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=875https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/87/feed/17Because this is our last show of 2013 (and we'll be skipping next week's show so that we can sleep and see our families after ending this year at an insane pace), we wanted to use it to wrap up some of the things we've learned. - Because this is our last show of 2013 (and we'll be skipping next week's show so that we can sleep and see our families after ending this year at an insane pace), we wanted to use it to wrap up some of the things we've learned.
It's kind of a hodge-podge this week, because "what we learned" spans the gamut, but a few highlights were:
1. Producing a ton was the right choice for 2013 (for us), but now that we have a ton of stuff, we need to turn to promoting it next year.
2. We made some choices with funnel-starters (primarily with the free introductory story Vengeance that leads into the full novel Namaste) that weren't terribly wise in retrospect. You'll hear the story of how we changed Vengeance to what you see today (instead of seeing its old name and cover, for Namaste: Prelude) and why we did it.
3. Season 2 production on our works next year is, we hope, where the big rewards lie.
4. Our somewhat spontaneous decision to write our definitive self-publishing guide Write. Publish. Repeat. (which you should read if you haven't already; look at those reviews!) was the best "growth-hacker" move we made all year.
And a bunch more.
Happy holidays everyone, and we'll see you in 2014!
You can get the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4cc2bMufxISelf Publishing Podcastno1:22:19self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 086 – YouTube for Writers with Amy Schmittauer (“The Schmittastic Episode”)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/86/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=86
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/86/#commentsThu, 19 Dec 2013 14:00:38 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=870https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/86/feed/7This week's guest was Amy Schmittauer, who had some awesome ideas and suggestions for writers looking to expand their reach with the use of YouTube. We talked about a variety of approaches, from using videos to bond with existing readers and deepen tha...This week's guest was Amy Schmittauer, who had some awesome ideas and suggestions for writers looking to expand their reach with the use of YouTube. We talked about a variety of approaches, from using videos to bond with existing readers and deepen that connection with true fans to using YouTube for lead-gen.
We also talked about when to create multiple YouTube channels, what to do about trolls (Amy seems to take them on directly and make friends, an approach whose simple efficacy punched us in the face), when to split videos up in order to get more search engine traffic, how to piggyback on popular topics, and more.
Here's where you can check out more about Amy and what she does:
• Her prime YouTube channel, Sexy Savvy Social
• Her personal vlog entries, so you can get a feel for that approach
• Her iPhone videos channel, which we also mentioned, for a third style
• And of course, Amy's business Vlog Boss Studios
We're looking to expand into YouTube more in 2014 with the awesome stuff Amy told us about!
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWqPc0OwEVkSelf Publishing Podcastno1:02:09self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 085 – Post-Launch Wrap-Uphttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/85/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=85
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/85/#commentsThu, 12 Dec 2013 14:00:00 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=858https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/85/feed/12We started this week's show by talking about how awesome all of you are. Seriously. Our listeners (and readers) are the best. - We recorded this episode the day after the launch of our new book, Write. Publish.We started this week's show by talking about how awesome all of you are. Seriously. Our listeners (and readers) are the best.
We recorded this episode the day after the launch of our new book, Write. Publish. Repeat: The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success, and not only did the book do phenomenally well (went as high as #62 on the overall Kindle store list and stayed in the Top 100 for days), but the excitement and kudos from all of you were amazing, so thank you.
This show was a mess otherwise, though -- partially because Sean and I were giddy and sleep-deprived. So we talked about a lot of stuff too scattered to detail here, much having to do with launching, what worked and what didn't, etc. We also talked about when you shouldn't follow our advice and the time the gas station Dave worked at caught on fire. Because that's relevant.
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruB63MsxvZESelf Publishing Podcastno1:08:30self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 084 – Positioning Your Book for Maximum Exposurehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/84/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=84
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/84/#commentsThu, 05 Dec 2013 14:00:19 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=851https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/84/feed/31First things first: our comprehensive self-publishing guide Write. Publish. Repeat: The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success is now available! (That's the Amazon link. It's also on the other stores, as well as in print.First things first: our comprehensive self-publishing guide Write. Publish. Repeat: The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success is now available! (That's the Amazon link. It's also on the other stores, as well as in print.) This book is as good as we could make it, folks. As of right now, it's pretty much everything we know about how to build a business in the indie publishing world.
For the first two days -- December 5th and 6th -- Write. Publish. Repeat. will be on sale for half price ($2.99 instead of $5.99). During that same time, it will also come with a bonus book: Sean's Writing Online, which is the freelancing companion to the new book.
We'd like to ask you all a favor. If you enjoy this podcast and have gotten something out of it, PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD. Twitter, Facebook, your blogs, your email list, your crazy grandmother, whatever… please tell folks you know about Write. Publish. Repeat.
Anyway, be sure to get your copy of Write. Publish. Repeat. now, before the price goes up and the bonus goes away.
On today's show, we talked about positioning your book. We talk about our reasons for changing the name of Chupacabra Outlaw to it's new name of Cursed, then tell the story about how Write. Publish. Repeat. might have been named The Fiction Formula … and why. It's mainly for fiction writers (though we specifically added a lot for nonfiction writers too), and there was nothing about that in the title. So we had a dilemma.
We'll also talk about why we DID decide to use the name The Fiction Formula later, as a way of having our cake and eating it too.
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-R35Z7zJ2wSelf Publishing Podcastno1:11:50self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 083 – How to Launch a Bookhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/83/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=83
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/83/#commentsFri, 29 Nov 2013 14:00:11 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=846https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/83/feed/12As of the day this episode goes live, we're officially just one week away from the launch of our comprehensive self-publishing bible Write. Publish. Repeat: The No-Luck Guide to Building a Self-Publishing Career. In this episode, appropriately,As of the day this episode goes live, we're officially just one week away from the launch of our comprehensive self-publishing bible Write. Publish. Repeat: The No-Luck Guide to Building a Self-Publishing Career. In this episode, appropriately, we talk about how we're launching this book and how that launch compares to the last proper "launch" Sean and Dave did -- the Yesterday's Gone Season One launch two years ago.
We talk about how we don't normally "launch" our books, how we may in 2014, and how fiction launches differ from nonfiction launches. We also talk a lot about networking, and how you can do it very wrong and look like a shitbag, versus doing it right and just being a cool person.
You can check out the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pitxN1DyG8Self Publishing Podcastno1:16:33self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 082 – Censorship and Compromising Your Workhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/82/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=82
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/82/#commentsThu, 21 Nov 2013 14:00:39 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=794https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/82/feed/4This week, we talked about an article we read about censorship by major booksellers and the corresponding self-censorship that some authors are doing to keep their books visible. We also talked about the "chilling effect" that occurs when authors start...This week, we talked about an article we read about censorship by major booksellers and the corresponding self-censorship that some authors are doing to keep their books visible. We also talked about the "chilling effect" that occurs when authors start to watch what they say.
We also had two requests this week, for those of you who are awesome enough to be our listeners and want to support us:
1. We need to get the first in our co-authored series The Future of Sex with Lexi Maxxwell price-matched as free, and we need your help to do it. Please go here to see it on Amazon, then scroll down to the "product details" (below the row of "customers also bought" images), and click the final text link in that section, just above the reviews… the one that says "tell us about a lower price." Then fill it out and give Amazon this link, which is the same product for free on B&N.
2. If you have a website, a podcast, or access to a group of writers on social media and would be willing to help us spread the word about our "how to build a career in self publishing" book Write. Publish. Repeat. when it launches on December 5-6, we'd love to send you a beta copy for review. If writing such a review (or generally getting the word out) would be appropriate with your audience, please just contact us and let us know!
And THANKS!
You can view the video version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kbKWIrz5dQSelf Publishing Podcastno1:09:54self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 081 – Growth Hacking for Authorshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/81/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=81
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/81/#commentsThu, 14 Nov 2013 14:00:48 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=788https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/81/feed/2Our main topic this week was growth hacking, but before we got down to it we hit a few updates: - • We announced the winners of the Kobo Aura HD drawings: Adam Haviaras and Carolyn Jewel. Mark from Kobo will contact you directly, so look for an email.Our main topic this week was growth hacking, but before we got down to it we hit a few updates:
• We announced the winners of the Kobo Aura HD drawings: Adam Haviaras and Carolyn Jewel. Mark from Kobo will contact you directly, so look for an email. Congrats, Adam and Carolyn, and thanks, Kobo!
• We answered three voicemails: about redrafting, our bios and catalogs, getting permission for repurposing stories, and dealing with bad reviews.
• I (Johnny) was contacted by a big-name person about film and TV rights for Fat Vampire. I'm not allowed to get excited and we all kind of doubt anything will come from it, but it's awesome for ALL of us (including you out there listening) because it means Hollywood is paying attention to indies.
The rest of the show was dedicated to the idea of "growth hacking," which is the kind of marketing that all of us should be employing to build our businesses. Growth hacking focuses on creating an ideal product-to-market "fit" (creating the best product for your people), marketing in small-budget ways that are innovative and outside the box to those ideal people, and always tweaking to get more out of less.
This is a topic you should be paying attention to, so listen in!
Here's the video version of the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlKh9N-oSuASelf Publishing Podcastno1:14:47self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 080 – Imparting Theme and Meaning into Your Writinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/80/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=80
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/80/#commentsThu, 07 Nov 2013 14:00:12 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=784https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/80/feed/5This week, we talked about theme. I'm totally phoning it in on these show notes because my head about exploded writing our forthcoming self-publishing bible, Write. Publish. Repeat, so basically all you're getting in this one is that we talked about th...This week, we talked about theme. I'm totally phoning it in on these show notes because my head about exploded writing our forthcoming self-publishing bible, Write. Publish. Repeat, so basically all you're getting in this one is that we talked about theme. So, you know, listen and stuff.
Here's the video version of the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9s2_RaZxQwSelf Publishing Podcastno55:29self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 079 – More Launching, the Secret Beam Project, and Print with Leonard Kinseyhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/79/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=79
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/79/#commentsThu, 31 Oct 2013 13:00:04 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=778https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/79/feed/8Our guest today was Leonard Kinsey, whose niche might just be the most awesome I've ever seen: edgy, gritty Disney-based books. For instance, his book The Dark Side of Disney is all about how to have a very "adult" time at Disney. Adult. Ahem.Our guest today was Leonard Kinsey, whose niche might just be the most awesome I've ever seen: edgy, gritty Disney-based books. For instance, his book The Dark Side of Disney is all about how to have a very "adult" time at Disney. Adult. Ahem. If you know what we mean.
But the main reason he was in to talk to us was about hacking Lightning Source to do cooler print books than Createspace can do -- hardbacks with dust jackets, superior color, etc.
This discussion was very involved, so just listen to the show for more.
We also talked about a few other things:
• I (Johnny) gave a report of the creative launch of Fat Vampire 6, via promoting the 4-book Fat Vampire Value Meal for 99 cents. Short version: it's going well, and I'll report more later.
• Sean and I announced our "secret Beam project," a Malcolm Gladwell-type quasi-nonfiction book written by a fictional author named Sterling Gibson writing from the year 2097. The title is Plugged: How The Beam and Hyperconnectivity Changed the Way We Think and it'll blow your mind if you're a fan of The Beam. We actually consider Plugged to be The Beam's season 1.5.
• Lastly, we gave an update on the so-called "SPP book," which now has a name thanks to listener Shannon Morgan: Write. Publish. Repeat. There will be a tagline to come, and we're planning to release it on December 5th. The short version is that this book is going to be the most comprehensive guide we can write about the business of becoming a successful self-publisher, from A to Z.
Here's the video version of the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J05k7BvpcRYSelf Publishing Podcastno1:19:26self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 078 – Balancing Family While Writing Like a Machinehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/78/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=78
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/78/#commentsThu, 24 Oct 2013 13:00:35 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=770https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/78/feed/21We've gotten a few questions about "family stuff" lately, so we figured we'd address that one today -- how do you balance your family life with your writing? - I (Johnny) began with a blatant plug. The final book in my Fat Vampire series -- Fat Vampir...We've gotten a few questions about "family stuff" lately, so we figured we'd address that one today -- how do you balance your family life with your writing?
I (Johnny) began with a blatant plug. The final book in my Fat Vampire series -- Fat Vampire 6 -- comes out today, and as an experiment to follow in Ed Robertson's shoes, I've lowered the price of the Book 1-4 box set to 99 cents. So pick those up if you're into it.
Sean's book Writer Dad also came out this week, so we talked a bit about that -- about how this book HAS A SHIT TON OF VALUE no matter how hard a time Sean has seeing that because it lets writers see the true ups and downs and generally putting your money where your mouth is that goes into this journey. So pick it up; it's discounted for the rest of this month.
We then talked a lot about Kobo, some issues they've had this week with complaints and censorship, and how we're totally in their corner and think they're awesome. Kobo deserves a break. Give it to them.
The rest of the show was dedicated to talking about family life. Sean made Dave and I feel inadequate and I talked about how I feel guilty no matter what I do. Dave grumbled. It was a good time.
Here's the video version of the show:
http://youtu.be/O0XpelzmO3ASelf Publishing Podcastno1:22:16self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 077 – The How-To Guide We’re Writing For Youhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/77/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=77
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/77/#commentsThu, 17 Oct 2013 13:00:21 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=765https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/77/feed/28This week, we talked a ton about our latest project, which you can think of as "The Self Publishing Podcast: The Book." That's not it's name, though, because that's a shitty name. Which is where you come in. - SPP is awesome, but it's also unwieldy.This week, we talked a ton about our latest project, which you can think of as "The Self Publishing Podcast: The Book." That's not it's name, though, because that's a shitty name. Which is where you come in.
SPP is awesome, but it's also unwieldy. If you want to know our bottom-line recommendations, you'd have to sift through (so far) over 80 hours of material. There's no easy way to find what you need on the podcast ("did they ever talk about X?"), and there's also the last issue… we talk a lot about tactics on the show because they're what's working for us (or what we're trying) right now. But as we all know, TACTICS CHANGE.
What's always formed the foundation of SPP is this: Focus on strategy, not tactics. That means spending more time writing more books, thinking about marketing funnels and buyer psychology, and taking care of your readers and less time asking whether XYZ algorithm is working in your favor or whether such-and-such keywords are hot for nonfiction right here and now. We DO talk tactics on this show, but they are always in service of strategy. So if you listen to this show from end to end, it may sound like our advice is changing. And so people ask us: Well, what should I really do to sell my books?
The forthcoming SPP book (again, still unnamed) will answer that question. In, like, a shit-ton of detail.
After listening to this episode, take note, faithful listener: WE NEED YOUR INPUT!
Please drop us a comment below and let us know two things:
1. What should we name this book? (We'll send you a print and digital copy of the finished book if we use your suggestion.)
2. Our current outline for this book is really, really comprehensive, but is there anything you'd like to be sure we cover?
This book is for you, or awesome listeners… let us know what you'd like it to be!
Here's the video version of the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOhN_F-9yaMSelf Publishing Podcastno1:18:55self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 076 – Free-to-Paid Conversion with Kobo’s Mark Lefebvrehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/76/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=76
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/76/#commentsThu, 10 Oct 2013 13:00:36 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=759https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/76/feed/6Today, we had "Mark from Kobo" (because we can't pronounce his last name) back on the show, as our favorite bookseller representative. - NOTE: Mark didn't come on to pimp Kobo's new reader (the Aura HD) and he didn't pay us to say nice things about it,Today, we had "Mark from Kobo" (because we can't pronounce his last name) back on the show, as our favorite bookseller representative.
NOTE: Mark didn't come on to pimp Kobo's new reader (the Aura HD) and he didn't pay us to say nice things about it, but constant plugs for the device nonetheless became a running gag in this episode. As a result, Mark decided spontaneously to give one away to one of our listeners, so BE SURE TO TUNE IN TO THE NEXT EPISODE TO LEARN HOW TO ENTER TO WIN IT.)
Anyway, we addressed a bunch of Kobo topics and a few non-Kobo topics:
• What's the best way to get traction on Kobo?
• Why is "first book free" an excellent strategy?
• How should you price your books?
• What advantages do series books over single books?
• Where did Goodreads reviews (and other reviews) go on Kobo, and are they coming back?
• What's the best way to use pre-orders on Kobo?
… and a ton more.
Here's the video version of the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5R1YpmrYPgSelf Publishing Podcastno1:30:15self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 075 – Launch Strategies with Ed Robertsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/75/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=75
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/75/#commentsThu, 03 Oct 2013 13:00:50 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=753https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/75/feed/8Today we talked with again with perennial SPP guest (our Justin Timberlake, though he's not yet done "dick in a box") Ed Robertson about book launch strategy. Ed got to something stupid like #15 overall paid in Amazon for his Breakers box set after a s...Today we talked with again with perennial SPP guest (our Justin Timberlake, though he's not yet done "dick in a box") Ed Robertson about book launch strategy. Ed got to something stupid like #15 overall paid in Amazon for his Breakers box set after a string of cool strategy and a bit of luck.
This all began, by the way, when I asked Ed how I could promote MY new release, Fat Vampire 5: Fatpocalypse, which came out on 9/26. Because, you see, it's hard to promote later books in a series. Ed made the box set cheap so that he could promote IT… and hence get spill-over and buy-up to the fourth book in his series.
As is always the case when we have Ed on, this one is jam packed and one hell of a information roller-coaster. We always get so much out of these.
Here's the video version of the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHN-dxMqOFoSelf Publishing Podcastno1:05:41self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 074 – Selling Direct to Your Readers with Jim Kukralhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/74/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=74
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/74/#commentsThu, 26 Sep 2013 13:00:47 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=743https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/74/feed/31Jim Kukral is the creator of Author Marketing Club, which we use and love, but we had him on today to talk about direct selling -- basically, opening your own channels of sales rather than relying entirely on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble,Jim Kukral is the creator of Author Marketing Club, which we use and love, but we had him on today to talk about direct selling -- basically, opening your own channels of sales rather than relying entirely on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and the other marketplaces for 100% of your book sales.
We talked about a lot of stuff on this show, but it's equally divided between practical stuff that you can do now vs. stuff that we think is going to happen in the future, as indie publishing evolves.
We talked about selling on your own site, building your own platform, and the idea of having author apps that will deliver your content.
We also talked about some of the difficulties with all of those right now… and there are a bunch. But it won't be that way forever, so remember: as an indie, you've always gotta be asking where the puck is GOING, not just where it is right now.
Here's the video version of the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQaGQv10w2oSelf Publishing Podcastno1:04:18self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 073 – Legal Considerations for Writers with Lawyer M. Scott Boonehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/73/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=73
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/73/#commentsThu, 19 Sep 2013 13:00:46 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=739https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/73/feed/3We get a lot of questions from you guys that we can't legally (or responsibly) answer, about legal stuff. So to answer them, we had on M. Scott Boone from Writer In Law this week. - Some of the questions we tackled were: - We get a lot of questions from you guys that we can't legally (or responsibly) answer, about legal stuff. So to answer them, we had on M. Scott Boone from Writer In Law this week.
Some of the questions we tackled were:
• Do you need a corporate structure like an LLC for your writing business?
• What does copyright really mean, and what do you need to know about it?
• When do you need to worry about trademark infringement?
• What do you need to keep in mind about publishing contracts?
• Should you be concerned about being sued for something you wrote?
• Are you allowed to create parodies or fan fiction of other works? Where is the line in doing so?
Here's the video version of the show:
http://youtu.be/FWTtGzwgB_8Self Publishing Podcastno1:05:31self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 072 – Switching Up Our Strategies and a Virtual Grab Baghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/72/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=72
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/72/#commentsThu, 12 Sep 2013 13:00:25 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=732https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/72/feed/41This was one of those episodes where we had thirty things to talk about and only one week to talk about it between guest appearances, so we jammed it all in. Here's some bullet points of what we discussed: - • We took voicemails about release schedules,This was one of those episodes where we had thirty things to talk about and only one week to talk about it between guest appearances, so we jammed it all in. Here's some bullet points of what we discussed:
• We took voicemails about release schedules, print vs. e-book publishing, pre-sales, and more
• After getting a Tweet that enraged him, Dave railed a FUCKLOAD about why none of the three of us on SPP are women and/or why we don't bring a woman into join us every week to add gender balance
• How Lexi Maxxwell (link NSFW) is gaining reviews and no longer discounting her books for her list, and why
• What Dave REALLY thought about me (Johnny) before he met me, and how I may have dodged a mail bomb
• The very first "someone else writing in the world of The Beam" story is written: The Future of Sex by our erotica author friend Lexi Maxxwell. Sean and I were directly involved. Basically, we entered into an awesome collaboration with Lexi from two bullets above (Lexi wrote the sex parts and came up with the concept; Sean and I story architected it and wrote much of the rest). The result is very explicit sexually but is also VERY "Beam." Personally, I think that even if you're not into erotica, you should read The Future of Sex because it explores so much in the background of The Beam. (You could even skip the sex scenes. I sure didn't when I read it back, though.)
• We are no longer doing weekly releases (and we discuss why)
• Sean and I started an email-only serial that we're sending out to our list subscribers every week. Join the list on the Realm & Sands site to read it for free.
• We talked more about birthing the Self Publishing Podcast blog, and the co-existing reasons behind it: publishing a book on the same concepts as an authority piece and starting speaking careers
• Why Dave writes so well about food and Sean writes so well about weed
• Sean attempts to change our Better Off Undead podcast yet again
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #72 - Switching Up Our Strategies and a Virtual Grab-BagSelf Publishing Podcastno1:24:42self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 071 – Killing Sacred Cows with Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Ruschhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/71/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=71
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/71/#commentsThu, 05 Sep 2013 13:00:32 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=726https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/71/feed/37This was a hum-dinger of a show, already lauded by many of our viewers who watch us live on our YouTube channel as "the best episode yet." - We spoke to two very well-known names in indie publishing (which they refer to as "the new world of publishing,This was a hum-dinger of a show, already lauded by many of our viewers who watch us live on our YouTube channel as "the best episode yet."
We spoke to two very well-known names in indie publishing (which they refer to as "the new world of publishing," Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch. I've been wanting to talk to Kris and Dean for a while and we've gotten a lot of listener requests about it, so finally Mark from Kobo (poor guy, we'll never be able to call him by his full name because he's forever "Mark from Kobo") made the introduction.
It might be worth checking out the YouTube video for this episode to watch Sean's antics as he vehemently agrees with 99% of what they say, going so far as to make hugging and other gestures the whole time.
Some hot-button topics we touched on were:
* Pricing your writing higher
* Writing in various genres (under the same name) is good
* Treat your writing like products more than art
* Write a lot, and release new stuff as fast as you can
… and basically a ton of other stuff that made us want to join their family. They're married to each other now, so we figure we're halfway there already.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #71 - Killing Sacred Cows with Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn RuschSelf Publishing Podcastno1:20:08self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 070 – The One Where We Interview Chuck Wendighttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/70/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=70
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/70/#commentsThu, 29 Aug 2013 13:00:51 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=721https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/70/feed/18This week, by popular request and also badgering by our fans, Chuck Wendig gamely stepped up and joined us for an interview. We took the criticism wherein y'all said that Sean and I talk too damn much and let Chuck talk this time. - This week, by popular request and also badgering by our fans, Chuck Wendig gamely stepped up and joined us for an interview. We took the criticism wherein y'all said that Sean and I talk too damn much and let Chuck talk this time.
We got the whole spectrum, from learning about Chuck's writing process and schedule to writing in multiple genres to promotion avenues to pricing.
There was also much swearing, much agreement on the strategies (not tactics) to use, and many squirrels.
Okay, no squirrels.
So settle in and enjoy this slightly more irreverent and profane than usual episode...Self Publishing Podcastno57:57self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 069 – How We Get So Much Shit Donehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/69/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=69
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/69/#commentsThu, 22 Aug 2013 13:00:04 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=713https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/69/feed/5This week, we focused on a question raised by David like three months ago: how the hell do we accomplish so much stuff? Not just the writing, but the collaboration, the podcasts, other aspects of our business, etc? - There were two big keys,This week, we focused on a question raised by David like three months ago: how the hell do we accomplish so much stuff? Not just the writing, but the collaboration, the podcasts, other aspects of our business, etc?
There were two big keys, plus a TON of very specific minutia. The two big keys were:
1. Know thyself. Your ability to use your time well starts with knowing yourself, your tendencies, your strengths and your weaknesses… and being brutally honest about all of it.
2. Work smarter, not harder. It's not that we get more done than most people… it's that we have optimized our work to coincide as closely as possible with our most productive times and using our most productive habits. Don't just get more done… get more done intelligently.
Tons and tons and tons of specifics in this one. Enjoy!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #69 - How We Get So Much Shit DoneSelf Publishing Podcastno1:19:27self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 068 – Working with Editors with Stacy Ennishttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/68/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=68
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/68/#commentsThu, 15 Aug 2013 13:00:15 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=705https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/68/feed/25Today our guest was Stacy Ennis, writer, editor, book coach, and author of The Editor's Eye: A Practical Guide to Transforming Your Book From Good to Great. - In this show, we covered a lot of detail about how to work with an editor,Today our guest was Stacy Ennis, writer, editor, book coach, and author of The Editor's Eye: A Practical Guide to Transforming Your Book From Good to Great.
In this show, we covered a lot of detail about how to work with an editor, with a VERY big focus on this idea, which I'll put in bold because it's important:
Hiring an editor is like hiring a partner, and finding the right "fit" is very, very important.
(Let's just say that most of my objections to editors go away if you can find the right person who is the right fit.)
We talked about how to find an editor, what to look for, what to expect to pay, and all sorts of other good stuff.
Here are some resources Stacy mentioned on the show:
To find editors:
• The Editorial Freelancer’s Association
• PublishersMarketplace
• The Editors’ Association of Canada
• Editcetera
• BiblioCrunch
To outline online:
• Microsoft online (search "flow chart")
• Gliffy
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #68 - Working With Editors with Stacy EnnisSelf Publishing Podcastno1:03:18self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 067 – Getting Your Books Into Print with Kamal Ravikant and Garrett Robinsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/67/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=67
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/67/#commentsThu, 08 Aug 2013 13:00:13 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=699https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/67/feed/32Today we had two guests in to talk about publishing print editions or your books: Kamal Ravikant (who does some ninja shit to get the best books at the best places and, according to Carl Sinclair, looks like Raiden from Metal Gear Solid and Garrett Rob...Today we had two guests in to talk about publishing print editions or your books: Kamal Ravikant (who does some ninja shit to get the best books at the best places and, according to Carl Sinclair, looks like Raiden from Metal Gear Solid and Garrett Robinson, who does all of our formatting and who is beloved by all. Well, except for that one guy.
There's a lot to print, and a big part of it is understanding what exactly you want. How do you get the best looking books, yet make them available everywhere? Do you want to make money on print books or use them for marketing? All that plus a lot of how-to are in this week's show.
Links we mentioned on today's show:
• Garrett's "how to format your stuff" tutorial
• The survey Garrett mentioned about book consumption
• The software that may or may not help consolidate multiple selling dashboards
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #67 - Getting Your Books Into Print with Kamal Ravikant and Garrett RobinsonSelf Publishing Podcastno57:22self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 066 – How to Maintain Your Confidencehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/66/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=66
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/66/#commentsThu, 01 Aug 2013 13:00:40 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=691https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/66/feed/10We spent a bit of time at the beginning of this episode talking about last week's discussion about Sean's and my decision to price The Beam's full season collection at $9.99. The upshot is that we took the spirit of the criticism (that we weren't effec...We spent a bit of time at the beginning of this episode talking about last week's discussion about Sean's and my decision to price The Beam's full season collection at $9.99. The upshot is that we took the spirit of the criticism (that we weren't effectively communicating the bundle's value) while simultaneously standing our ground (and keeping the pricing the same.
Check out the new page for the The Beam's Full Season Collection. You'll see how we changed the image and the wording to better indicate the value.
Then we transitioned into talking about support systems and how to maintain your confidence when people don't understand what you're doing, criticize you, or think it's cute that you write rather than being a legit art or business.
Spouses, family, friends, fellow writers… and also listening to cool but foul-mouthed writing podcasts can all be sources of support, for starters.
Oh, and one correction I wanted to make. For some reason, I said that "Blair Moore" left us a review when I knew full well (and heard it instantly when I listened back) that it's Blaine Moore. I really did know that, Blaine. Brain fart.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #66 - Maintaining Your Confidence as a Writer When Others Don't UnderstandSelf Publishing Podcastno1:10:36self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 065 – The One Where We Argue About Indie Pricinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/65/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=65
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/65/#commentsThu, 25 Jul 2013 13:00:03 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=682https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/65/feed/25This episode was a clusterfuck. Hopefully an interesting clusterfuck, but a clusterfuck nonetheless. - The day before we recorded this, Sean and I released The Beam: The Complete Season 1 Collection. We priced it at $7.99 to introduce it to our peeps,This episode was a clusterfuck. Hopefully an interesting clusterfuck, but a clusterfuck nonetheless.
The day before we recorded this, Sean and I released The Beam: The Complete Season 1 Collection. We priced it at $7.99 to introduce it to our peeps, then raised it to $9.99 for its permanent price.
In Sean's and my opinion, the logic is nothing but sensible:
1. The episodes are 30k each, longer than the Unicorn Western books. So $2.99 each makes sense for those.
2. Bundling six $2.99 titles and giving people all of them for $9.99 seemed like a great deal (instead of $18 for all of them individually).
3. We'd already established that $5.99 was a good price for a season of six 15k episodes, and these are twice as long.
But, everyone still argued, including Dave, that $9.99 is just too fucking much.
As usual, there's little point in arguing with Sean and I because we're just going to do what we want to do regardless of how dumb everyone thinks it is. :)
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #65 - The One Where We Argue About Indie PricingSelf Publishing Podcastno1:01:35self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 064 – The Long-Awaited “Story Beats” Episodehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/64/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=64
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/64/#commentsThu, 18 Jul 2013 13:00:25 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=674https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/64/feed/20In this episode, we FINALLY got around to talking about "story beats" after being harassed by all of you about it. Story beats are basically what we call our outlining and story-planning process. - For discussion,In this episode, we FINALLY got around to talking about "story beats" after being harassed by all of you about it. Story beats are basically what we call our outlining and story-planning process.
For discussion, you can download the original story beats for Unicorn Western book 1 here.
(And so that you can see what those beats became, you can get Unicorn Western for free on Amazon US here, or search Kobo, B&N, and other stores to find it there.)
There's a ton to this discussion, but suffice to say it just makes sense to listen to it rather than me typing it all out here. (Oh, and Dave thought this discussion was useless. Let him know if you disagree.)
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #64 - How to Write and Use Story BeatsSelf Publishing Podcastno1:18:51self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 063 – Which Release Model is Best for Serials?https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/63/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=63
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/63/#commentsThu, 11 Jul 2013 13:00:26 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=666https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/63/feed/7We weren't able to record this week, but lucky for you, the episode of our Better Off Undead podcast that we recorded last week was actually incredibly SPP-like… despite my protests that it shouldn't be. So we've repackaged that BOU into this week's SPP.We weren't able to record this week, but lucky for you, the episode of our Better Off Undead podcast that we recorded last week was actually incredibly SPP-like… despite my protests that it shouldn't be. So we've repackaged that BOU into this week's SPP. How efficient.
Basically, Sean and Dave are going to be releasing Yesterday's Gone's 4th season soon (get the other seasons here) and they've been debating over the best way to release it:
1. Their old way, wherein they release all six episodes, one each week, before offering the "full season" compilation, or
2. The "Netflix model," which I foolishly thought we'd decided was better, where the full season is available right away as a logical upsell for readers.
I say "foolishly" here in sarcasm because Sean is now pushing for #1 again. You'll hear the debate in its entirety here, but basically he thinks they can gain more visibility with option #1… and restore the purity of their serialization model.
In fairness, in this particular case, I came to agree with Sean after listening back to this, despite what I say on this show.Self Publishing Podcastno53:25self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 062 – Research, Comparisonitis, and Being Patient with Joanna Pennhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/62/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=62
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/62/#commentsThu, 04 Jul 2013 13:00:18 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=660https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/62/feed/8Today we talked to our good friend Joanna Penn about a hodge-podge of topics that tickled our collective fancy. Here's some of what we covered: - • The value of doing research, and why we think that using the word "research" kind of gives it a bum rap...Today we talked to our good friend Joanna Penn about a hodge-podge of topics that tickled our collective fancy. Here's some of what we covered:
• The value of doing research, and why we think that using the word "research" kind of gives it a bum rap (because it can be awesome)
• When it's good to be patient and why we're sometimes impatient
• Why it's usually a mistake to compare yourself, your work, and your marketing directly to other writers, their work, or their marketing without allowing that everyone is different
• Going onto Audible with audiobooks
• And a ton more!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #62 - Research, Comparisonitis, and Being Patient with Joanna PennSelf Publishing Podcastno1:07:34self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 061 – How to Increase Your Book’s Visibility with David Gaughranhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/61/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=61
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/61/#commentsThu, 27 Jun 2013 13:00:30 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=629https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/61/feed/4Today our guest was David Gaughran, author of the awesome "how to e-publish" book Let's Get Digital and -- most relevant to today's discussion -- the AMAZING "how to get your work seen" book Let's Get Visible. - Sean, Dave,Today our guest was David Gaughran, author of the awesome "how to e-publish" book Let's Get Digital and -- most relevant to today's discussion -- the AMAZING "how to get your work seen" book Let's Get Visible.
Sean, Dave, and I 110% recommend Let's Get Visible. It made us feel stupid because there was so much in here that we didn't know. Anyone who listens to the Self Publishing Podcast should read it. You can get it here.
Just a few of the topics we covered are:
• Which places Amazon offers you exposure and how to show up in those places
• Which factors count in the various lists (i.e., ONLY your number of sales and the recency of those sales count toward your bestseller rank and NOTHING else)
• Why your choice of categories is essential and how to get the most out of them
• When and why to change your categories
• How to advertise most effectively and how to time your promotions
• And a TON more!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #61 - How to Increase Your Visibility with David GaughranSelf Publishing Podcastno1:12:56self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP060 – Dealing With Flops and Taking Shotshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/60/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=60
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/60/#commentsThu, 20 Jun 2013 13:00:43 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=619https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/60/feed/15We had a miscommunication today with our guest David Gaughran (who will actually be on NEXT week), so we were a little discombobulated today and ended up jamming on a handful of random topics. We answered some voicemails (about KDP Select rules and Pod...We had a miscommunication today with our guest David Gaughran (who will actually be on NEXT week), so we were a little discombobulated today and ended up jamming on a handful of random topics. We answered some voicemails (about KDP Select rules and Podiobooks) and talked about a gaffe wherein a Lexi Maxxwell erotic podcast episode ended up on the Collective Inkwell podcast feed, but we spent most of the time talking about what to do when things flop.
I wouldn't say that our Realm & Sands release of Space Shuttle: Episode 1 was a FLOP, per se, but it underperformed and some people didn't like it. So there was a ton of discussion/argument about that which consumed the rest of the show. Sean and I were all about taking more shots (keenly noting that we think that Chupacabra Outlaw, the following week's title, KICKED ASS), but Dave said we should only release stuff we were sure was A+ material. Sean and I countered that it was a pilot and was there to test the waters. A melee ensued, and it was like watching a marriage break up.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #60 - Dealing with Flops and Taking ShotsSelf Publishing Podcastno54:06self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 059 – Converting From Free, Choosing Your Readership, and Sexual Pervasiveness with Erotica Author Lexi Maxxwellhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/59/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=59
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/59/#commentsThu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:21 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=612https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/59/feed/8Today we had our good friend and erotica writer Lexi Maxxwell (who Sean and I have said we're helping out with her business and publishing and stuff) back on the show as a follow up to her popular earlier appearance on the show. As with last time,Today we had our good friend and erotica writer Lexi Maxxwell (who Sean and I have said we're helping out with her business and publishing and stuff) back on the show as a follow up to her popular earlier appearance on the show. As with last time, this show is spicier than normal, so hide the kids.
We talked to Lexi about a ton of stuff, including:
- What to do if you built your audience on free stuff and want to transition away from free
- How to select and court the best readers for you
- How to think like a publisher and outside of just "putting words on a page," including an AMAZING new partnership between Lexi and premier adult site X-Art.
- The branding reason that Lexi's friend KR Gray got a MUCH, MUCH different and worse response than Lexi -- sufficient that he had to bail on solo work and move "under Lexi's umbrella" -- despite their styles being very similar.
- Why "erotica" is kind of a bullshit category, seeing as everyone in most books are having sex anyway, and erotica just "shows it."
- Lexi's genius in mixing sex with humor in the STUPIDLY funny upcoming Kindle sitcom Adult Video, which Sean and I created and then gave to Lexi because we couldn't do it justice without holding back.
NOTE: As we did with Ed Robertson last week, we kept Lexi on with us for Better Off Undead for a lot of really NSFW discussion. We also kept Ed on from last week because we recorded this and last week back-to-back, thus making this week's Better Off Undead a 5-writer show!Self Publishing Podcastno53:07self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 058 – Selling On Other Platforms with Ed Robertsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/58/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=58
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/58/#commentsThu, 06 Jun 2013 13:00:57 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=604https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/58/feed/4Today we had our frequent and popular guest Ed Robertson to talk about selling in other bookstores, like Nook (Barnes & Noble) and Kobo. But we kicked things off by asking Ed about his experiment in writing his serial The Cutting Room.Today we had our frequent and popular guest Ed Robertson to talk about selling in other bookstores, like Nook (Barnes & Noble) and Kobo. But we kicked things off by asking Ed about his experiment in writing his serial The Cutting Room. Lots of good discussion on reader expectations and new experiments here, as Ed wondered about his ability to convert readers of his popular Breakers series to the new serial.
Then we talked about selling in other stores. TONS of good info here, including how Ed ranked well on the hard-to-crack Nook store and why selling on Kobo is currently harder than the other stores. We also talked about why Apple makes shit so damn hard.
NOTE: At the end of this show, we realized we should have talked to Ed about writing in Sean's and my science-fiction world of The Beam, since he's one of the writers we're inviting to join us. So we kept him on to talk about that with us on a VERY cool episode of Better Off Undead, which you can find here.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #58 - Selling On Other Platforms with Ed RobertsonSelf Publishing Podcastno54:35self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 057 – Publishing on Kobo with Kobo’s Mark Lefebvrehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/57/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=57
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/57/#commentsThu, 30 May 2013 13:00:12 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=595https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/57/feed/8Today we had an AMAZING chat with Mark Lefebvre, Director of Self-Publishing and Author Relations at Kobo. We talked Kobo -- our favorite non-Amazon publishing platform by a mile -- up one side and down the other in this info-packed session. - Today we had an AMAZING chat with Mark Lefebvre, Director of Self-Publishing and Author Relations at Kobo. We talked Kobo -- our favorite non-Amazon publishing platform by a mile -- up one side and down the other in this info-packed session.
Here are a few of the things we talked about:
- How Kobo is different from Amazon and how to get the most of it
- How Kobo ranks books, and how best to price them
- A few of Kobo's eccentricities that you'll want to know and keep in mind
- Why putting your books in multiple stores makes sense
- What Kobo has going on that Amazon doesn't (though we do still love Amazon)
And here are the tools and articles Mark mentioned on the show:
- The correct way to link to books on Kobo by using ISBN search
- Getting your Goodreads Reviews to show on Kobo, from the Kobo team
- A post where author Eric Kent Edstrom posted a guide for hooking Goodreads to Kobo on his own website (with a nice visual tutorial)Self Publishing Podcastno1:26:59self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 056 – What to do When the Words Aren’t Cominghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/56/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=56
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/56/#commentsThu, 23 May 2013 13:00:48 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=587https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/56/feed/21NOTE: Johnny and Sean would like to announce that the FULL SAGA OF UNICORN WESTERN (books 1-9) is now available. You can get it here on Amazon, or search other stores to find it there. - Today, we talked about the various species of writer's block… I ...NOTE: Johnny and Sean would like to announce that the FULL SAGA OF UNICORN WESTERN (books 1-9) is now available. You can get it here on Amazon, or search other stores to find it there.
Today, we talked about the various species of writer's block… I guess. But more accurately, we talked about stalling or failing on a project and then ditching THAT PROJECT (or that draft) and doing something different or trying again. What we don't suggest doing is staring at a blank screen and thinking about how we can't write and are "blocked."
Sean and I share the story about how in our new publishing company Realm & Sands(you're signed up for the mailing list to get our new releases at a discount, right?), we ditched the concept for one of our "sitcoms" because it wasn't working and replaced it with other projects.
Dave talks about ditching words, Sean talks about pushing through discomfort, and I also share the story of how I COULD have gotten blocked writing The Bialy Pimps but was too new and too stubborn to do so.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #56 - What to do When the Words Aren't ComingSelf Publishing Podcastno1:08:39self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 055 – The Official “Catch up Voicemails” Episodehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/55/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=55
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/55/#commentsThu, 16 May 2013 13:00:14 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=579https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/55/feed/18Sean and I would like to announce the debut of our new channel (including the release of the rest of the Unicorn Western saga, which got pretty damn epic) on May 23rd. You can sign up for the Realm and Sands list to get our new releases at a discount h...Sean and I would like to announce the debut of our new channel (including the release of the rest of the Unicorn Western saga, which got pretty damn epic) on May 23rd. You can sign up for the Realm and Sands list to get our new releases at a discount here.
Today we were supposed to have a guest, but he didn't show up so instead, we just got all caught up on the voicemails you guys have been sending in. Here's what we answered:
* What's the best way to publish microfiction?
* A comment about JK Rowling as pertains to crossing genres
* When is it useful to use a pen name?
* WHY THE FUCK DON'T WE SHARE OUR NUMBERS OMG (Dave loved this one.)
* What's the thing in writing that makes readers share it with others?
* I have three months to do ** SOMETHING ** in publishing and writing. What's the best way to spend it?
* Is it worthwhile pricing at 99 cents? Permanent free? Whatever?
* We also got a shout out from a listener on her blog.
There was also some discussion of free and of moving to other publishing platforms and a fun revisiting of writing in several genres. Enjoy!
Lastly: Don't forget to sign up for the Realm and Sands mailing list for channel launch on May 23rd!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #55 - The "Catching up on Voicemails" EpisodeSelf Publishing Podcastno1:02:15self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 054 – Exploding Your Growth with Bestselling Author CJ Lyonshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/54/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=54
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/54/#commentsThu, 09 May 2013 13:00:40 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=570https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/54/feed/17Today, we talked again with our friend and bestselling author CJ Lyons. We talked about how self publishing has changed (and how traditional publishing is apparently just figuring it out), how to bond with your readers and grow your audience,Today, we talked again with our friend and bestselling author CJ Lyons. We talked about how self publishing has changed (and how traditional publishing is apparently just figuring it out), how to bond with your readers and grow your audience, and how smart publishers today need to pay more attention to strategic basics that never go out of style (writing good books, writing a lot, pleasing readers, etc.) instead of trendy tactics.
CJ also weighed in on our writing across multiple genres and convinced Dave of several other things that made Sean jump up and down. As usual, it was like watching a marriage break up.
CJ's main site is CJLyons.net and her blog is No Rules, Just Write. Pop in and say hi, and buy her shit!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #54 - Exploding Your Growth, with Bestselling Author CJ LyonsSelf Publishing Podcastno1:02:08self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 053 – SPP’s 1-Year Anniversary Showhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/53/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=53
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/53/#commentsThu, 02 May 2013 13:00:46 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=565https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/53/feed/28One year ago as of the day we recorded this episode (we recorded it on 4/26/13), we posted the very first episode of the Self Publishing Podcast. - So in our longer-than-usual anniversarial episode, we talked about what a difference a year makes,One year ago as of the day we recorded this episode (we recorded it on 4/26/13), we posted the very first episode of the Self Publishing Podcast.
So in our longer-than-usual anniversarial episode, we talked about what a difference a year makes, how things have changed in self-publishing, and what we think the future will bring.
Sean and I also announced our new "channel," called "Realm & Sands," which will launch on May 23rd. We're going to debut with three written "shows" and release one book a week. Our first three shows are the full saga of our epic fantasy/western series Unicorn Western, a sitcom-style self-referential series called Better Off Undead, and a serious, non-hilarious sci-fi serial called The Beam.
Thanks for a great first year, SPP listeners!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #53 - SPP's 1-Year Anniversary ShowSelf Publishing Podcastno1:32:27self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 052 – Trusting the Storyhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/52/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=52
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/52/#commentsThu, 25 Apr 2013 13:00:02 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=561https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/52/feed/8As Sean and Johnny tie up production on Unicorn Western 9 and prepare to publish the full 1-9 Saga (in addition to launching a whole new venture), we decided to talk about the concept of "trusting the story,As Sean and Johnny tie up production on Unicorn Western 9 and prepare to publish the full 1-9 Saga (in addition to launching a whole new venture), we decided to talk about the concept of "trusting the story," which is something we did a ton of as Unicorn Western finished.
There was a lot of our typical debate, but in short, we all believe that there is a "truth" to a story and that it's your job to find it.
Sean and I (Johnny) diverged significantly from Dave, though, in our nearly blind faith in the story. We truly believe that the story's "truth" exists out in the world and it's our job to excavate it as much as create it.
Dave, however, said that it's super-possible to write yourself into a corner while you're being a story-trusting dumbass. Sean and I took that as a challenge, saying we could paint our way out any cockamamie situation Dave wrote us into.
Hilarity then ensued.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #52 - Trusting the StorySelf Publishing Podcastno1:05:50self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 051 – Writing in Multiple Genreshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/51/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=51
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/51/#commentsThu, 18 Apr 2013 13:00:43 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=556https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/51/feed/48Today's show was a knock-down, drag-down fight that left all of us -- but mostly Dave -- exhausted. We talked about whether you should brand yourself as a writer of one type of writing or not, and ridiculousness ensued. But first,Today's show was a knock-down, drag-down fight that left all of us -- but mostly Dave -- exhausted. We talked about whether you should brand yourself as a writer of one type of writing or not, and ridiculousness ensued.
But first, a voicemail from Garrett
Garrett asked, in short, what we thought about what we'd done so far with our transition from releasing books for free at launch time to requiring folks to pay (99 cents) for them. Sean and I talked about what happened with the launch of Unicorn Western 4 (at 99 cents), and S&D contrasted it with the Available Darkness Season Two launch (episodes released individually for free). They weren't happy with the A.D. launch, but Sean and I were quite happy with the UW 4 launch -- not because the numbers were huge (they weren't), but because those people were PAYING CUSTOMERS.
We also talked about the VERY interesting (and also very good) results of a recent launch done by our friend, erotica writer Lexi Maxxwell. Lexi released a title called The Slutty Little Mermaid and a buy-up $9.99 bundle of Filthy Fairy Tales recently using a similar model, and it worked great.
More awesome talk about free vs. paid ensued.
Then we got into it.
So… is it smarter to be "a horror writer" or "a fantasy writer" or whatever else so that people will get to know you as a master of that niche? Or is it better to spread yourself around and write in as many genres?
The very short answer is that both can work, in certain cases.
The short answer is that it depends on which expectations you want to set and what your goals are.
The longer answer is that Sean and I argued vehemently for writing across as many genres as you want under your own name, and that Dave disagreed with us.
For the full answer, have a listen.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #51 - Writing in Multiple GenresSelf Publishing Podcastno1:03:42self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 050 – Collaborating With Other Writershttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/50/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=50
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/50/#commentsThu, 11 Apr 2013 13:00:35 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=548https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/50/feed/11I'm really under the gun today trying to finish up the Unicorn Western series (I'm writing the final volume -- #9 -- right now) so I'm totally going to phone it in on these show notes. We're cool with that, right? - I'm really under the gun today trying to finish up the Unicorn Western series (I'm writing the final volume -- #9 -- right now) so I'm totally going to phone it in on these show notes. We're cool with that, right?
The short version is that we all really, really, really like collaborating with other writers. You can bounce ideas off one another; you can play to your biggest strengths; you can move much, much faster.
(NOTE: This is where I mention that in the previous 12 days, I wrote books 5-8 of Unicorn Western. That's like 105,000 words. Insane, and not possible if I weren't collaborating with Sean.)
So we talk on that for a while, and it was a great discussion.
I'll end my "phoning it in" here and get back to work.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #50 - Collaborating with Other WritersSelf Publishing Podcastno1:15:18self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 049 – Hacking Your Book’s Formatting with J. Thornhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/49/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=49
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/49/#commentsThu, 04 Apr 2013 13:00:11 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=542https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/49/feed/16On this week's show, we had J. Thorn, author of the Portal Arcane series and -- most appropriately for this discussion, the guide Formatting for Kindle -- on the show to talk about making Kindles do what you want. - On this week's show, we had J. Thorn, author of the Portal Arcane series and -- most appropriately for this discussion, the guide Formatting for Kindle -- on the show to talk about making Kindles do what you want.
We were unable to find out how to make Kindles bring us coffee or give us massages, unfortunately, but as far as getting correct fonts, placements images, etc.? We nailed that shit.
Perhaps the most interesting discussion here, in my mind, was how to make children's books work on the Kindle. This is something a lot of you have asked about but that so far, we've shrugged in response to and said, "Dunno. Google for it."
I could go on and on, but luckily, this week J. has done all of my work for me by posting everything you'll need to know -- including a bunch of awesome free resources -- on his website. To get them, visit JThorn.net and click on the tab along the top that says "SP Podcast #049." How organized is this guy?
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #49 - Hacking Your Book's Formatting with J. ThornSelf Publishing Podcastno50:43self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 048 – Talking Strategy and Other Big Planshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/48/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=48
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/48/#commentsThu, 28 Mar 2013 13:00:54 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=536https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/48/feed/21This episode was chock full of big-brained, high-strategy stuff. - We started by talking how we're all getting a little disillusioned at the whole "free economy" that up until very recently we've endorsed on this show… which shows that all things are ...This episode was chock full of big-brained, high-strategy stuff.
We started by talking how we're all getting a little disillusioned at the whole "free economy" that up until very recently we've endorsed on this show… which shows that all things are in flux and that very little is set in stone.
Now, this is all just our opinion, but we all said that we've noticed SIGNIFICANT declines in the effectiveness of free promotions. I launched Fat Vampire 4 to a rather hungry audience (I'd been getting emails and tweets for a while from people eager for it) and that promotion resulted in approximately jack shit:
1. I rose in the free list, but not high enough for the free list to take the ball and hit critical mass, exposing me to new people.
2. I rose in the genre lists (horror and satire) but got no real new exposure.
3. Sales of other titles were pathetic. I can maybe attribute $40 total to this promotion.
Something felt very wrong to me about this. Sean and Dave said they've felt the same… that all we're doing with free these days is giving shit away to the people who wanted to buy it.
Additionally, we're not getting enough reviews to justify the giveaways.
How important is it to keep readers?
This led to an epic verbal battle wherein Sean accused Dave of being too soft regarding losing readers. Sean and I feel that if you have readers who will ONLY get your stuff for free (will in fact WAIT for it to be free and not buy it if it doesn't go free) and who also won't review your stuff, then FUCK THOSE PEOPLE. Dave wants to keep them, but I want readers who value my work… who, in short, don't feel that they're somehow doing me a favor by simply reading my work but offering me no return, remuneration, or response -- ever -- in return.
Now, not everyone who gets your shit free will be like that, but a lot will. So we have to wonder… why not go back to charging for everything, and building funnels?
Our new launch strategy
Sean and Dave decided to go back to launching their episodes for 99 cents instead of free. Sean and I decided to do the same with books, which feels ballsy but also totally correct to me. We launched Unicorn Western 4 for 99 cents for a limited time as a special deal for our readers, but then raised it to full price of $2.99. There was no free period and will not be for subsequent books in the series. (Same thing will go for Fat Vampire books 5 and 6.)
Remember, we are in the business of selling books. If that's not happening, we need to adjust. We feel and hope that our best readers will be willing to spend 99 cents. And if they're not willing, then we don't really need them. That may sound harsh, but it is what it is.
Formula and format helps the creative process rather than hindering it
We finished up by talking about how speed, formula for writing (ex: we decided in advance that Unicorn Western would be nine books of 25,000 words each… before we knew anything about the plot) and process actually helps the creative process.
In other words, some people would argue that you should let your story be organic and be whatever it wants to be. But Sean and I at least contend (and Dave seems ambivalent) that if you put restrictions on the project, it gives you a framework and allows you to kick even more ass.
I can tell I personally am going to listen to this one about five times. This is important shit!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #48 - Talking Strategy and Other Big PlansSelf Publishing Podcastno1:07:14self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 047 – Author Marketing with AuthorMarketingClub.com’s Jim Kukralhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/47/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=47
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/47/#commentsThu, 21 Mar 2013 13:00:57 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=529https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/47/feed/20NOTE: Unicorn Western 4 will be at its launch price of 99 cents until the end of Sunday, March 24th. - I (Johnny) have known Jim Kukral for a while. He's a good guy with an extensive background in internet marketing and sales,NOTE: Unicorn Western 4 will be at its launch price of 99 cents until the end of Sunday, March 24th.
I (Johnny) have known Jim Kukral for a while. He's a good guy with an extensive background in internet marketing and sales, and he once stood me up for lunch.
However, when I discovered that he was also, coincidentally, the guy behind Author Marketing Club -- which we've promoted often on SPP if for no other reason than their super-awesome multi-site submission tool for free promotions -- I said, "Let's get Jim on the show." So that's what we did.
But first…
Sean and I went to South by Southwest two weeks ago and sat down and mapped out books 5-8 of the Unicorn Western series, which now includes Unicorn Western 4. We also did a lot of planning and won't release ANY more volumes until the full saga is complete circa early May. So watch for details on how that works out.
We also hung out (in a nonsexual way) with erotica author Lexi Maxxwell (somewhat NSFW link), who is a big SPP success story and who appeared on our show a bit ago (definitely NSFW podcast episode). She's working on some hilariously sexy stuff that Sean and I giggled like fifth graders until we cried talking about, including a series called Filthy Fairy Tales which will release soon. Johnny then mentioned hilarious hijinks discussed in a title that is currently live called The Autumn Diaries.
Jim talks marketing
This was a PHENOMENAL discussion that just epitomizes the nature of Amazon, of publishing, and about marketing. You have to be adaptable. Since the beginning of this podcast, we've hailed how awesome free is, but now we're talking more about other platforms and about moving away from free.
For instance, Sean and I launched Unicorn Western 4 today at 99 cents instead of giving it away in a Select promotion. In fact, it isn't even IN Select. Instead, we're going to move the series to other platforms as our Select runs expire.
There's a ton in this episode, but regarding how marketing is becoming harder with the changes in free and free blog promotion, I (Johnny) said this:
"Things getting more difficult is always better for people who aren't deterred by difficulty."In other words, if you are a serious writer who is in this for the long haul and who is committed to continuing to write good stuff and to keep writing it, Amazon is doing you a favor by changing things to punish get-rich-quick, gold rush, gaming-the-system thinking. That doesn't mean it might not suck in the short term, but are you in it for the short term?
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #47 - Author Marketing with AuthorMarketingClub.com's Jim KukralSelf Publishing Podcastno1:10:21self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 046 – Q&A, Progress, and the Catch-Up Showhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/46/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=46
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/46/#commentsThu, 14 Mar 2013 13:00:15 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=520https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/46/feed/12Before you start reading, I (Johnny) would like to let you know that my brand-spankin' new book Fat Vampire 4 is available now and will be free on Amazon on March 14-15. Go here to check out Fat Vampire 4. (Side note - the first three Fat Vampire book...Before you start reading, I (Johnny) would like to let you know that my brand-spankin' new book Fat Vampire 4 is available now and will be free on Amazon on March 14-15. Go here to check out Fat Vampire 4. (Side note - the first three Fat Vampire books are available in a buy-2-get-1 bundle here.)
--
This episode was our attempt to get to a bunch of little odds and ends that we've been wanting to mention but that don't warrant an entire show on their own. We also wanted to answer your listener questions. We got to most of them. Yay, us!
This shit takes time
Sean and I started off by recapping our numbers for the Unicorn Western series (check out our handy and inexpensive UW three-pack!) and spent some time underscoring the idea that this brand-new series is not raking in the bucks yet. One of the most important things you can do for your publishing career is to be patient and give your books time on the market to find an audience.
Gareth asked about using and selling stock photography
Dave's wet dream, Gareth from England, said that he was interested in selling his photographs for authors to use and also kind of asked about where one would buy stock photography. We recommended Shutterstock for both.
Bathtub Girl asked about selling a cookbook -- publish, blog, or what?
We thought that Bathtub Girl's idea to self-publish a photography-rich cookbook sounded fraught with peril and difficult to pull off due mainly to issues having to do with the photos themselves and the nature of selling cookbooks, but saw some promise in the idea of blogging as a method of promotion and becoming known as a Cookbook Bathtub Girl.
An anonymous caller asked about knowing how big her sub-niche is
Because Anonymous Girl says she's writing in a specific sub-niche of romance/erotica, Dave felt the need to declare publicly that he thinks that werewolf erotica is just for people who want to fuck animals in such a way that indicated that it had been on his mind a LOT lately. We then actually answered the question about determining the size or popularity of a niche. Seemingly.
Kirk asked about outlining and story beats
Sean elaborated some here on the "beating" process he talked about in our earlier episode on outlining and story structure. So we talked about that a lot.
Dave said that he loves Scrapple
Dave pretended that he was talking about this and not this, but I think we know what the real score is. Suffice to say that it's a cool visual organizational tool for writers.
Steve asked about costs for building and running a website
Our recommendations for writers' websites are these:
FOR THE DIY'er: You can set up and run a site for less than $10 a month for the site and under $20 a month for the mailing list. Here are links showing you how to handle the website setup and installation and how to set up and use a mailing list, including our recommendations on service providers.
FOR SOMEONE WHO JUST WANTS IT HANDLED: Sean recommended outstandingSETUP, which will do it all for you.
Then, to close out the show, I railed a bit more about how the changes in free and KDP Select are really starting to piss me off.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #46 - Q&A, Progress, and the Catch-Up ShowSelf Publishing Podcastno1:03:54self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 045 – Does the Change in Amazon’s Affiliate Program Mean the Death of Free Book Promotion on Big Blogs?https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/45/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=45
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/45/#commentsThu, 07 Mar 2013 14:00:20 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=513https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/45/feed/6We took some voicemails at the start of this one and you can listen to hear all about them (With Sean and Johnny working together, who won re: sending books to an editor? How did Johnny's process change so he could write faster?We took some voicemails at the start of this one and you can listen to hear all about them (With Sean and Johnny working together, who won re: sending books to an editor? How did Johnny's process change so he could write faster? And are we talking too damn much about strategy?), but this episode was super-heavy with newsworthy goodness, so let's get started.
Are free book blogs dead… and if so, does authors' abilities to promote well die with them?
Here's the problem: Amazon just changed their affiliate program so that if 1) an affiliate pushes the download of over 20,000 free e-books in a month AND 2) 80% or more of the books that affiliate pushes are free books, the affiliate will earn $0 in commissions from Amazon for the month.
In case you didn't know, this is how huge free book sites -- the sites that push our books when we do KDP Select promotions -- make money. The changes in the affiliate program are, essentially, requiring that those sites promote fewer free books. That's bad news for us. Or is it?
This week, we had Ed Robertson back on to hash this one out.
There's a ton of debate here and I won't try to encapsulate all of it, but here are a few of the points that were raised during this show:
1. This doesn't kill KDP Select free promotions. It just makes them less effective for people who might have been picked up by the big blogs but now will not be.
2. It might make sense to consider changing to discounted promotions rather than free promotions rather than free promotions for SOME AUTHORS in SOME CIRCUMSTANCES.
3. But, making your book free will still drive sales if you're doing everything else right. There will just be fewer huge windfalls like those possible after a huge push of a book by Pixel of Ink or other sites.
4. Free is a tactic, not a strategy, and Sean and I both mention how gaming free promotions feels to us like playing search engine optimization (SEO) games. If it's a trick, you can use it… but don't base the success of your business on it, because it can change any time.
5. Because of that -- and because it's just common sense -- the advice we give time and time again continues to apply: Write good books. Keep writing more books. Build a smart marketing funnel. Build and grow an email list. Be good to and take care of your fans. Those things will never, ever, ever change (although email may one day be replaced when the future arrives and we all get rocket cars) as long as people continue to enjoy stories.
6. The top 100 free charts still need to be filled by someone, as do the top 100 paid charts. They will be filled by the best books. For the best books, nothing changes here. That means that you must be awesome or go home. If you're fantastic at what you do, the changing of any one tactic means exactly dick.
This episode is jam-packed. Study it like you have an exam coming up.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #45 - The Death of Free Book Promotion on Big Blogs?Self Publishing Podcastno1:09:56self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 044 – Podcasting for Writers with Podcast Answer Man Cliff Ravenscrafthttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/44/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=44
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/44/#commentsThu, 28 Feb 2013 14:00:04 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=506https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/44/feed/13Today we had a really awesome guest who is pretty much to thank (or to blame) for this podcast existing: Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answer Man. It was Cliff's 100% free podcasting setup tutorial website at LearnHowToPodcast.Today we had a really awesome guest who is pretty much to thank (or to blame) for this podcast existing: Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answer Man. It was Cliff's 100% free podcasting setup tutorial website at LearnHowToPodcast.com that I used to learn how to build SPP and make it the show that you love and loathe today.
But before we started talking to Cliff about why and how writers can start podcasting, we answered a few…
Voicemail questions!
1. Can you use using images in a Kindle file?
After saying how awesome and buy-worthy he thought my book The Bialy Pimps was, Garrett asked about using small images as his chapter headings in Kindle docs. The short answer is that he can totally do it with no problem. And of course, knowing Garrett, he already had weeks before we answered this question.
2. Do writers really need websites?
This question came as a result of some confusion. Sean once said that Amazon could distribute your work to WAY more people than most websites, but we clarify here that this does NOT mean that writers should not have websites. Writers need a home base, if for no other reason than to build an email list. If you'd like to know how to set up your own website, here's a tutorial showing you how to do it. Also, here's a tutorial on how to set up and use an email list.
Podcasting for writers with Cliff Ravenscraft
There's a ton of detail when we got Cliff on the line, but a few of the basic reasons writers might consider podcasting are because it allows you to form tighter relationships with readers and to share more of yourself with them, which will allow them to love you more. It can also act as your writer's platform.
We run through all of the nitty gritty in this one about what kind of equipment you'll need, how much you can expect to spend, how involved it is to set up a podcast, and how to set expectations.
And I'll also add this: The three of us here LOVE the podcast. I (Johnny) would go so far as to say that without the podcast, I wouldn't be producing 20% of the work I'm producing today, which leads to another reason podcasting can be valuable, and that's for the masterminding aspect of talking to other writers.
If you want to know more, absolutely check out Cliff's Learn How to Podcast tutorial series and subscribe to his Podcast Answer Man podcast.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #44 - Podcasting for Writers with Podcast Answer Man Cliff RavenscraftSelf Publishing Podcastno1:07:20self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 043 – Outlining and Story Architecturehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/43/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=43
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/43/#commentsThu, 21 Feb 2013 14:00:42 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=495https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/43/feed/8Today we tackled a topic that I (Johnny) have been wanting to get to FOR-EVAH for my own nefarious reasons, but that we haven't been able to get to. - True to form, Sean and Dave tried to cockblock me out of this topic halfway through because they wan...Today we tackled a topic that I (Johnny) have been wanting to get to FOR-EVAH for my own nefarious reasons, but that we haven't been able to get to.
True to form, Sean and Dave tried to cockblock me out of this topic halfway through because they wanted to answer all of your called-in questions, but I PUT A STOP TO THAT BULLSHIT and cut them off. We got to a few of your questions, but we have an increasing backlog that will have to wait again… sorry. We won't get to them next week, either, because we have a guest. Good thing I'm so apathetic and unsympathetic about other people's issues. (I kid, I kid.)
Here are the questions we did get to:
• Do you need to read a lot to be a writer… and if so, should you "cram" before writing?
Short answer: You must read, but "cramming" all at once is a bad idea.
• How do you handle descriptions of characters? Is there a best order or way?
Short answer: Minimalistic description is the way to go in our opinion. this lets the reader supply his/her own description and hence feel like they're a part of the story more.
• Are self-publishing awards worth it?
Short answer: No.
• What are the rules about exclusivity at different times with KDP Select?
Short answer: You can't post/sell/make your work available anywhere during the 90-day period you're committed to Select (including your website), but you can have it anywhere else before and after.
Then we got to outlining and story structure.
I started by relating a story about how I, by myself, recently wrote Fat Vampire 4. Compared to what Sean and I do with Unicorn Western, this was hard, because I have to outline the story myself instead of Sean giving me story beats. Since I've never been much of an outliner -- and since working with Sean's outlines has shown me how fast I can write when I DO have an outline -- I wanted to learn more about it. And you get to listen in.
We then hashed this out from seventy different angles. Awesomeness then ensued.
We even get a step-by-step on Sean's own outlining process in this one, which I'm going use the next time I have to do my own outlining. Good stuff.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #43 - Outlining and Story ArchitectureSelf Publishing Podcastno1:02:38self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 042 – Exploring Amazon’s Algorithms (and More) Update with Ed Robertsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/42/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=42
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/42/#commentsThu, 14 Feb 2013 14:00:16 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=488https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/42/feed/14Today we had our first-ever returning guest - Ed Roberston. In case you missed Ed the first time he was on our show, he's one of those guys who studies shit rather than taking it for granted and hence has (along with help from a kind of think-tank,Today we had our first-ever returning guest - Ed Roberston. In case you missed Ed the first time he was on our show, he's one of those guys who studies shit rather than taking it for granted and hence has (along with help from a kind of think-tank, but a different kind of think-tank than Sean's) figured out a lot of details about how Amazon ranks books, what exactly drives a book up the popularity charts, how pricing affects a book's ability to rise in the rankings, how free book "sales" tally up next to actual purchases in determining ranking, etc.
There's a ton to this episode, so I'm not going to list it all here. It's just too damn involved and I'm too damn lazy. But here are a few of the highlights:
* There are two basic ways to use Amazon free promotions: 1) promoting one book and hoping for that same book to "bump up" in the rankings when the promo is done and hence sell a bunch of copies and 2) promoting one book in the hopes of driving sales of related books -- ideally others in the same series. Ed says that the first doesn't work well anymore but that the second still does.
* Related to the above, Ed says that many authors -- including himself -- are leaving KDP Select in frustration and adding their books to other stores. From where I (Johnny) stand, this seems nuts, but I am not in the same place as these other guys, and it makes sense for them. It DOES also make me nervous to have all of my eggs in one basket over at Amazon, lending some credence to the other argument.
* Ed gives his thoughts on the various odd observations I made when talking about two very different free promotions I did for The Bialy Pimps and Fat Vampire, as described in our last episode.
Like I said, there's a crap-ton more here. Enjoy!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #42 - Exploring Amazon's Algorithms with Ed RobertsonSelf Publishing Podcastno1:01:48self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 041 – Insights on KDP Select and Its Use for Serials and Other Fictionhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/41/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=41
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/41/#commentsThu, 07 Feb 2013 14:00:55 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=479https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/41/feed/13I (Johnny) started the show this week by talking about two KDP Select promotions I ran for Fat Vampire and The Bialy Pimps . These promotions went very well, and led to Sean getting wood or something about some KDP Select ideas he had.I (Johnny) started the show this week by talking about two KDP Select promotions I ran for Fat Vampire and The Bialy Pimps . These promotions went very well, and led to Sean getting wood or something about some KDP Select ideas he had. So although we had another topic planned, we decided to bump it and talk about Select instead.
Here are some of the conclusions we arrived at throughout the course of this rather complicated and convoluted show, in no particular order.
1. Submitting your book to sites that feature free titles is worth it.
I used AuthorMarketingClub's book submission tool to let a bunch of sites know that Fat Vampire would be free. As a result -- and we're sure this is only PART of the reason, but it did have to be part -- the book went up to #90 on the overall free list and was downloaded around 2500 times the first day.
2. Pixel of Ink is still the big dog.
Of all the free book sites, the one you most want to get mentioned by is still Pixel Of Ink. Even though I didn't submit it, The Bialy Pimps got picked up by PoI, and that drove over 2000 downloads in the first few hours.
3. But Pixel of Ink seems to prefer full-length novels.
I submitted FV, but tBP was the book that Pixel featured. This despite the fact that FV sells better, is ranked more highly, and has more reviews. I wanted FV to be featured because that's where I have a funnel (more sequels to buy), but it wasn't featured. Instead, they pulled my other book, which barely sells, out of obscurity… for the SECOND TIME. Our only guess is that they want longer books. (FV is around 35,000 words, whereas Bialy is over 120k.)
4. And this sucks for people who want to offer "full length" stuff as compilations of shorter works, but whose reviews are all on those shorter works.
I have a Fat Vampire books 1-3 bundle that should be long enough for Pixel, but it has no reviews, which would make Pixel turn it down. All of the reviews for the FV series are on the three books that make up the bundle. This led to a discussion too convoluted to go into, but it's where the real meat is.
5. It may be worth it to end your promo on a high note.
For reasons I go into on the show, my free promo for The Bialy Pimps was cut short when Amazon kicked the book out of Select. The book was ranked at #70 free at the time, which is pretty high. I was bummed out at first because I wanted to see if it could climb higher, but I felt better the next day when I sold like 85 copies of Bialy -- a book that usually only sells only a few copies of a month. I attribute this to the book becoming paid again while it was still popular, and possibly also to Pixel's link to it being relatively "fresh" when the book went paid. I don't know if this makes me want to cut promos off early, but it definitely has given me something to think about.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #41 - Insights on KDP Select and Its Use for SerialsSelf Publishing Podcastno52:37self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 040 – Your Self-Publishing Questions, Answered by Proxyhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/40/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=40
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/40/#commentsThu, 31 Jan 2013 14:00:44 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=473https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/40/feed/24On today's show, we had a special guest in Garrett Robinson, who we figured could represent all of you out there in self-publishing land who had questions for us. We picked Garrett because he always has a ton of questions,On today's show, we had a special guest in Garrett Robinson, who we figured could represent all of you out there in self-publishing land who had questions for us. We picked Garrett because he always has a ton of questions, and having him on was easier than filing a restraining order.
Live from his closet, here are just a few of the questions Garrett asked us and that we then discussed while stupid jokes were tossed about and Sean and I yelled angrily about Garrett making us be on the podcast in the evening:
1. Do you need a publishing house, or can you publish under your own name?
Short answer: you don't need a house. I (Johnny) don't have one. Sean says you might consider it if you want to act like a publisher. Whatever that means.
2. What's the best way to price serials?
Answer: It depends. Listen up to get the full details.
3. What is the best timing for KDP Select promotions?
Answer: Undecided. Sean wants to try running his promos on Saturdays and Sundays, while I still tend to go with Tuesdays. It may not matter. There was much confusion about the timing of sending emails.
4. What's the best way to collaborate and write fast?
Answer: A bit too convoluted to write out here. I'm also too lazy to listen and find out what we said.
We also took a voicemail from Gareth and did some other dumb stuff. I was tired. The end.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #40 - Your Self-Publishing Questions, Answered by ProxySelf Publishing Podcastno1:02:23self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 039 – Series, Serials, and Standalone Bookshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/39/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=39
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/39/#commentsThu, 24 Jan 2013 14:00:50 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=466https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/39/feed/29In a way, the start of today's show was a bummer because nobody used the word "cum slut," which we'd gotten used to from our last show. But we quickly got over it and got on with business. A bit of a KDP Select review In a way, the start of today's show was a bummer because nobody used the word "cum slut," which we'd gotten used to from our last show. But we quickly got over it and got on with business.
A bit of a KDP Select review
As a way of talking again about Amazon's KDP Select program, I announced that I've sold FOUR copies of The Bialy Pimps. I during its time on both the Nook and Apple iBooks bookstore over the entire year… which really makes me wonder why the fuck I'd bother putting any books on platforms OTHER than Amazon.
Sean laid out what they're doing now, which involves "graduating" books from Amazon only to other platforms. We argued a bit about this, and the best way to break out promos, and so on.
Questions! Questions!
I mentioned that I've decided to bundle my Fat Vampire books differently than the way Sean and I have decided to bundle Unicorn Western. Sean's current favorite bundling model combines three novellas which are priced at $2.99 each into a bundle that costs $4.99… and then once there are three bundles at $4.99, you combine those into a nine-book bundle that costs $9.99.
Instead, I've decided to bundle three of my $2.99 Fat Vampire books into a collection that costs $5.99 (I published the first Fat Vampire "Value Meal" this past weekend)… and then to combine two of those into a 6-book bundle for $9.99. My argument is that the Fat Vampire books are longer than Unicorn Western books.
This led us to a discussion of price and value, which was a perfect segue into a voicemail question: What is the VALUE of your book vs. what you can PRICE it at?
The answer is that value is a pretty useless concept if you are the only one who thinks it has a value of X. What the MARKET thinks its value is matters more. Fierce discussion then ensued.
Garrett then called in because he's being really neurotic and comparing Amazon's actual paid royalties to what he thinks they should be and says they seem low. Dave said that it may have to do with currency differences between the US and people in other countries buying your books, and Sean and I told him to chill the fuck out and stop obsessing over his numbers. I mean, SHIT.
Serials, Series, and Standalones… oh my!
We spent the rest of the episode talking about how you'd go about approaching a standalone novel (like The Bialy Pimps, which has no connection to anything else I've written) vs. a series of novels (like Unicorn Western) vs. a true written serial, which is structured more like an episodic TV series (like Yesterday's Gone).
We get into a ton of detail, but basically the difference between a series and a serial is that in a series, each book needs to truly stand on its own as a whole story even though it may/should depend on what came in the book before and lead into the next book. A serial can have truly assholish cliffhangers and leave people feeling a lot more incomplete from episode to episode. It's kind of a gray area, but etching out some of the black and white particulars is what we spent a ton of time doing this week.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #39 - Series, Serials, and Standalone BooksSelf Publishing Podcastno1:04:41self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 038 – Talking Dirty with Self-Published Erotica Author Lexi Maxxwellhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/38/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=38
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/38/#commentsThu, 17 Jan 2013 14:00:32 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=458https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/38/feed/33Well, this is the show we've been eagerly anticipating for weeks, wherein we talk all about sex, writing about sex, getting down and dirty, and Dave's new nickname: "cum slut." - DISCLAIMER: Although our show is normally kind of explicit,Well, this is the show we've been eagerly anticipating for weeks, wherein we talk all about sex, writing about sex, getting down and dirty, and Dave's new nickname: "cum slut."
DISCLAIMER: Although our show is normally kind of explicit, this show takes it to a whole new level. Today's guest has an absolutely FILTHY mouth. Get the kids out of the room, okay?
ALSO: You should assume that all links in this post are at least somewhat NSFW.
Act 1: Lexi Maxxwell stalks us
Lexi Maxxwell -- who, shockingly enough, we discovered uses a pen name -- says she's been listening to our podcast from the beginning. She's taken all of our advice and has run with it, even going so far as to create a "Sean Platt style" marketing funnel.
So it wasn't surprising that when we indicated that we really wanted to have an erotica author on following the worldwide phenomenon self-published dynamo 50 Shades of Grey, Lexi totally stalked Sean and pestered him until we 1) inspected her work and her promotion plan and found both awesome (unlike the TONS of shitty erotica out there) and then 2) agreed to have her on the show.
Act 2: Lexi stalks Tucker Max
Lexi really stepped up her pestering after our Tucker Max show. She had a hilarious idea involving Tucker that she needed to -- and subsequently DID -- clear with Tucker. Specifically, she wanted to write a story called "I Fucked Tucker Max." We'll obviously need to keep on top of this story and let you know what happens with it.
Act 3: Lexi makes our podcast even more NSFW than normal
We talked about everything on this show, and that talk was absolutely filthy. New words we debuted this week include "cum slut," "cum whore," and the concept of "being fucked hard against a wall." To be fair, all of these phrases and concepts were always latent at SPP, but Lexi brought them right out into the open.
We talked about how to blend explicit sex with characters people actually will like and care about.
We talked about the spectrum of erotic writing, which goes all the way from scene-based, very explicit "written porn" to softer, more romantic writing using words like "mound" (which Lexi felt to was "not an accurate description.")
We talked about different formats in erotica, ranging from gonzo-style short stories with "pornish" titles (of which Lexi has many; I was most amused by "Call of Booty: Modern Whorefare") to longer, more-complete-and-not-100%-sexual works like her novel Bitten, which Lexi says will become a trilogy.
We talked about how to market erotica, and how it differs from other fiction. (Sean even critiqued Lexi's marketing funnel, which looks EXACTLY like his own funnel for his kids' project. He then ends up advising her to move to a slightly different funnel... that would look EXACTLY like what Sean and I are doing for Unicorn Western.)
We talked about women writing erotic vs. men, and Lexi mentioned her friend K.R. Gray, who IS a man. Dave was weirded out by the idea of reading a dude's erotica… but I (Johnny) noticed afterward that not only does K.R. say that he writes with his wife, but also noted with amusement that he's doing a fucking SERIAL called Filthy Dirty Normal -- thus proving that there is apparently nothing out there that sex writers cannot and will not steal from Sean and Dave.
We talked about EVERYTHING. No holds barred here. And we had so much fun that we kind of want to have Lexi back for more.
NOTE: There is no YouTube video of this episode because Lexi needs to keep her identity secret.Self Publishing Podcastno1:00:58self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 037 – Using KDP Select to Drive Saleshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/37/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=37
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/37/#commentsThu, 10 Jan 2013 14:00:20 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=452https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/37/feed/22After our holiday break (wherein we produced "shows" but Sean and I basically just whored ourselves out for two episodes in a row), we're back to discuss KDP Select and free promotions to drive sales of your books. Voicemail first After our holiday break (wherein we produced "shows" but Sean and I basically just whored ourselves out for two episodes in a row), we're back to discuss KDP Select and free promotions to drive sales of your books.
Voicemail first
We're backed up on voicemail, but this got us partially caught up. Here's what we covered:
1. Gareth gave us holiday feedback
2. Stefanovich (sorry; I don't know how to spell it) gave us her impression of what a "marketing funnel for writers" meant (from episodes 33 and 34) in her own words and more or less nailed it
3. I'll get to the third voicemail in a minute, below.
I asked for advice on managing my email list
I've got a big list from my (Johnny's) website, but the problem is that a lot of those people joined based on the businessy, entrepreneurial, and even tech stuff I used to talk about but no longer do. I now do my human potential "Legendary" stuff and writing/publishing, and wanted to know how to "convert" that list.
Sean's advice, as he's facing the same thing, was to ignore the problem. Seriously. He said just to keep sending what I wanted to send (like free book promos) and the people who wanted to leave the list would leave it.
Garrett asked about using KDP Select free promotions to drive sales
This was such a great topic -- and was something that I had so many questions about myself, seeing as I just released Fat Vampire 3 a few days ago -- that we made it the show's main topic.
The discussion that followed was VERY convoluted and I kept giving Sean virtual smackdowns because he was saying one thing and then contradicting himself. That asshole.
We got it all sorted in the end, and it's some seriously detailed and great advice. But I'm not detailing that shit here. You'll have to listen.
Enjoy!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #37 - Using KDP Select to Drive SalesSelf Publishing Podcastno1:06:18self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 36 – The Unicorn Western Showhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/36/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=36
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/36/#commentsThu, 03 Jan 2013 14:00:21 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=446https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/36/feed/8Hey folks! - We weren't going to give you an episode of SPP this week. The idea was to take the week off, but when we recorded Better Off Undead last week, we found that we simply continued talking about the creative process behind Johnny and Sean's n...Hey folks!
We weren't going to give you an episode of SPP this week. The idea was to take the week off, but when we recorded Better Off Undead last week, we found that we simply continued talking about the creative process behind Johnny and Sean's new book, Unicorn Western.
So, in lieu of an SPP this week, we're going to give you episode 21 of Better Off Undead, since it's all about our writing process anyway.
Enjoy!
_____________________________________________________
Hey Undead Heads, this week we mailed the show in, spending the entire show talking about Johnny and Sean's new series, Unicorn Western the first book which is free today only (December 27) so go check it out.
Find out the origin story of this insane idea for a book in this week's episode.
Can a book that started out as a joke, with me at it's butt, actually be good?
So if you hate self-promotion, avoid this episode of BOU like a Birdemic outbreak!
Mercifully, the show is short, as we were in holiday mode. Unfortunately, thanks to some internet issues on Johnny's end, there's no video this week. Apologies to those who actually want to see us make asses of ourselves.
Tune in next week when we'll get back to our off-topic nonsense.Self Publishing Podcastno40:34self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 035 – How to Turn Any Stupid Idea Into a Book & the Story of Unicorn Westernhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/35/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=35
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/35/#commentsThu, 27 Dec 2012 14:00:49 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=432https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/35/feed/20Hey everyone! Before we start, I just wanted to let you know that Sean and Johnny's new book Unicorn Western is free on Amazon between December 26-28 of 2012. If you're reading this during that period of time, go get it free. - Hey everyone! Before we start, I just wanted to let you know that Sean and Johnny's new book Unicorn Western is free on Amazon between December 26-28 of 2012. If you're reading this during that period of time, go get it free.
If you're listening later than that, get it anyway. It's only three bucks and it's awesome. You'll thank us.
Lazy-ass show this week
We did short version of the podcast this week because we recorded these on the Friday before Christmas and were in no mood for expending effort.
Ostensibly, this show is all about how you can take ANY dumb idea and turn it into a good book. So that's what we talked about, as evidenced by Sean and Johnny's latest book, Unicorn Western, which is available now.
We explain the entire story behind Unicorn Western in this episode (including much mirth at Dave's expense), but let's just say that there was nothing profound about where we got the idea. It's a stupid idea. AND IT'S FUCKING AWESOME.
By the way, do you know what else we felt like putting as little work/effort into as possible? Answer: writing these show notes! So if you'll excuse me, I'll stop writing them now.
Enjoy the show, and happy whatever-holiday-you-celebrate.
(But don't forget to pick up Unicorn Western… it's FREE ON AMAZON THROUGH FRIDAY 12/28/12!)
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #35 - How to Turn Any Stupid Idea Into a Book & the Story of Unicorn WesternSelf Publishing Podcastno31:03self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 034 – Marketing Funnels for Writers, part 2https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/34/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=34
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/34/#commentsThu, 20 Dec 2012 14:00:37 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=427https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/34/feed/9This week, we continued our discussion of using funnels to sell your fiction. This was nicely summed up by Sean right up front when he said that using funnels forces you to think like a publisher… and remember that it's usually publishers, not writers,This week, we continued our discussion of using funnels to sell your fiction. This was nicely summed up by Sean right up front when he said that using funnels forces you to think like a publisher… and remember that it's usually publishers, not writers, who actually make money doing this stuff.
But first, voice mails!
Leaving reviews in light of Amazon's sock puppets crackdown
Stefanovich (sorry if I spelled that wrong; it's not as easy as "Frank") called in to say that with Amazon cracking down on bogus reviews, the spillover has caused Amazon to react and pull ANY review they feel might be overly biased or written by an author about a peer's or competitor's work. She said she's terrified to criticize other books in reviews because it might get her reviews pulled.
Our advice was to not worry about it. The worst that can happen is that the reviews will be removed, but that doesn't hurt the review-maker. And they do let a lot of stuff slide through.
Turning TV series scripts into Amazon serials
This was a really cool idea… to take scripts and put them on Amazon in order to drum up attention that could then be used as cache when Garrett pitches the series to producers.
Garrett says that he doesn't want to make money on the serials and just wants maximum exposure and asks our advice. We all thought it was a great idea, but urged him to think of money anyway. The total dollar value sold will impress producers more than "X number of free downloads."
Plot vs. character is a false dichotomy
Scott called in for clarification about concept vs. plot vs. setting, which we discussed in an earlier episode. He said that he felt that you need both -- character and plot -- and felt that we were arguing for one or the other.
We must have poorly expressed ourselves because we don't feel that way at all. It takes both.
More Garrett
We then took a call from one of our favorite callers, Garrett from the UK. There wasn't precisely a question in here, but we always enjoy his updates. There was then some debate when I implied that Garrett was becoming part of our own "Wack Pack," but Dave took issue with this because he's in lust with Garrett.
Marketing funnels for writers
We continued our discussion of marketing funnels, and somehow this became sexual. We must all be pent up. The podcast is so sexy.
But in general, Sean spelled out his massive marketing funnel for a children's project he's masterminding (and that I, Johnny, am also working on).
We also talked about using a list to drive your popularity in conjunction with KDP free promos. This is a big deal, and we'll probably talk specifically about lists soon. But in general, this is the key point:
Repeat after me: Build a list, then tell those people about free promotions so that they can get it for free… which will cause your work to rise in the rankings and hence get paid attention from new people.
In other words, use the attention you already have to get more attention.
And funnels, etc. But I'll let you listen to get the whole scoop.Self Publishing Podcastno52:49self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 033 – Marketing Funnels for Writers, part 1https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/33/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=33
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/33/#commentsThu, 13 Dec 2012 14:00:12 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=416https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/33/feed/24Sean and I started out by mentioning how pleased we are with our stupid new project, Unicorn Western. In case you don't know the story of Unicorn Western's origin, it's in the first half of this episode of our horror podcast,Sean and I started out by mentioning how pleased we are with our stupid new project, Unicorn Western. In case you don't know the story of Unicorn Western's origin, it's in the first half of this episode of our horror podcast, but the short version is this: Sean wanted to write a western, Dave said there was too much research involved (EX: "Do you know the color of smoke that came out of the guns?"), and so I said that if you put a unicorn somewhere in the story, you wouldn't need to worry about the research because the unicorn would indicate that it takes place in an alternate reality. Sean then joked about writing a "straight up western, but instead of riding horses, everyone rides unicorns."
So Sean and I decided that we wanted to write a quarter of a million words in mockery of Dave's "What color is the smoke? Huh? Huh?" curmudgeonry and began writing what will initially be a nine-book series. And the smoke from our guy's guns is bright fucking pink.
This is proof that ideas aren't magical. This is the stupidest idea ever, but it's turning out so awesome.
In fact, here's the awesome cover of book 1
Stay tuned, because Unicorn Western will be free on Amazon the day after Christmas. If you'd like to be notified about that, be sure to join our mailing list at the top of the homepage or the top of the right-side sidebar.
We took voicemail
We got to ONLY ONE of our voicemails today, leaving a pile we haven't gotten to yet. The first was from Bonnie, who asked about working with multiple worlds in multiple projects at the same time… or do we. Our answers were pretty unsatisfying because we said, "Just work in multiple worlds." I'm currently working in three worlds across three projects. It's just sort of a muscle you need to work on to develop.
Bonnie's second question was about pantsing vs. plotting. I actually don't think we answered this one. Oops. But we covered it in a recent episode. We're so incredibly behind on voicemail that Bonnie may even have submitted her question before we recorded that episode.
We acted organized
After a half hour, we realized we weren't yet to our topic, so we argued for five minutes about whether we should make today's show a potpourri and catch up on voicemail and do marketing next week or spilt the marketing stuff into two shows. We decided on the latter and will continue with our marketing funnels discussion next week.
We talked about marketing funnels
Finally.
As usual, I won't go into a ton of detail here and will let you listen in, but this discussion focuses on a big premise:
It is no longer enough to put out one or two great books and wait for the world to find you. Today's self-published writer has to create his or her own success by doing smart marketing, which means gathering a ton of leads and sending them through a sequence that results in people buying the next book, then the next, and so on.
There's a lot to this discussion, but a few of the key components are:
• Write a lot of good books, then keep writing more
• Think in terms of "what's next," and always be looking to deliver the next logical step/product for your readers
• BUILD AN EMAIL LIST so that you can make your funnel actually work and communicate with the people in it
• Make the first product in your marketing funnel as "frictionless" as possible for possible readers to consume. For us, that means making smart use of KDP Select free promotions, which will get our stuff into the hands of a lot of people… and then, when they finish that stuff, a call-to-action at the end will lead them to our other stuff.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #33 - Marketing Funnels for WritersSelf Publishing Podcastno58:06self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 032 – How to Sell a Metric Crap-Ton of Books, with CJ Lyonshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/32/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=32
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/32/#commentsThu, 06 Dec 2012 14:00:03 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=395https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/32/feed/7Today, we had as our guest the bestselling author and RABID Self Publishing Podcast fan -- who may or may not have credited all of her success to the three of us on this podcast -- CJ Lyons. - CJ gave us a ton of very practical enhancements and detail...Today, we had as our guest the bestselling author and RABID Self Publishing Podcast fan -- who may or may not have credited all of her success to the three of us on this podcast -- CJ Lyons.
CJ gave us a ton of very practical enhancements and details on some familiar themes, explaining that she's not good at business while Sean drooled at how good CJ is at business. Here are a few of the high points:
Treat your fans like royalty
When CJ got started, she hand-mailed around 300 books to fans. Those fans loved her, spread the word, and became super-loyal. She loves her fans, and you should too. Be awesome to them and they will be awesome with you.
Build a mailing list
CJ credits her huge mailing list for her ability to reach her fans... to let them know about sales, new releases, and so on. When you command the attention of a lot of people and can drive sales quickly, you'll move up the rankings... and Amazon's exposure will do the rest.
To learn how to build a list, go here.
Write more good stuff
What's the best way to sell more? Why, it's to write more books! CJ says that she will have written or turned in 7 manuscripts this year. Hell, I'll be at five myself, and next year I'll be at Sean-and-Dave levels of production.
Understand that there is no magic bullet... but that there is a magic formula
Sorry to be a tease, but the magic formula actually just underscores the fact that there is no magic bullet. CJ's formula is 1) write great books, 2) give it time to find an audience, 3) encourage that audience to tell their friends, and 4) repeat. Not easy... but simple.
CJ also talked with us about her success in walking the fine line of the "hybrid model" of publishing, as someone who publishes both traditionally and as an independent author, how to make use of an agent, how to use editors, and a ton more.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #32 - How to Sell a Metric Crap-Ton of Books, with CJ LyonsSelf Publishing Podcastno48:15self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 031 – Answers to Your Biggest Self-Publishing Questionshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/31/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=31
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/31/#commentsTue, 27 Nov 2012 14:00:08 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=381https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/31/feed/52IMPORTANT: Johnny made a time-sensitive offer during this episode, so act fast if you want to get in on it: Until November 30th of 2012, Johnny is setting up blogs for free to help writers build the platform they need in order to be successful.IMPORTANT: Johnny made a time-sensitive offer during this episode, so act fast if you want to get in on it: Until November 30th of 2012, Johnny is setting up blogs for free to help writers build the platform they need in order to be successful. You can...Self Publishing Podcastno55:01self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 030 – Concept vs. Plot vs. Settinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/30/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=30
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/30/#commentsThu, 15 Nov 2012 14:00:23 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=358https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/30/feed/17We started this show by talking about how I (Johnny) am enjoying -- for the first time -- writing an outline before beginning work on a project. I'm currently doing this for Fat Vampire 3. There was some contention between Sean and Dave about the outli...We started this show by talking about how I (Johnny) am enjoying -- for the first time -- writing an outline before beginning work on a project. I'm currently doing this for Fat Vampire 3. There was some contention between Sean and Dave about the outlining process, but that's always the case.
The way I'm working and the way Sean likes to work (which I learned now that I'm working with Sean on our first Unicorn Western book) involves writing what Sean and Dave call "story beats." It's not exactly a rigid plot architecture, but is rather a loose summary -- the way you'd write a summary after finishing a book, except that you write it first. The summary/outline gives you guidance and lets you think out the story without being overly rigid or left-brained. I also said that it's feeling to me like a "pre-rough-draft draft," which means I'll now get to play with revamping the story as I write rather than having to wait until I rewrite it in the second draft.
Plot? Setting? Concept?
This led naturally into discussion of the differences between a story's concept or setting versus its plot. All three of us seem to feel that "rigidly plotted" books come off as exciting but stilted, but we've also learned -- and I learned the hard way, through many failed fiction projects -- that some structure is a godsend.
Specifically, I used to create worlds based on cool situations… but then found that there was nothing going on in my story.
Fat Vampire is a good example. The CONCEPT was "a man is turned into a vampire when he's overweight, and his overweight nature dogs him into vampirehood." But that's just a concept, and I still needed to have my guy do something, or else he'd just sit there and suffer in amusing ways. This would also have me laughing AT my protagonist rather than WITH him. He'd be a joke and nothing more. So I had to come up with a problem he got into and had to get out of, and that became the plot.
There was a ton of more discussion here, much of which revolved around Stephen King's idea of "situational writing" vs. the tightly plotted work of authors like Dan Brown. The short version is that we like our fiction best when it's somewhere in the middle -- character-driven and situational enough that it feels natural and real and you care about the characters, but plotted enough that your story actually goes somewhere and stays focused. Ultimately, you want something to happen, and having a bit of a roadmap helps.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #30 - Concept vs. Plot vs. SettingSelf Publishing Podcastno56:05self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 029 – Finding the Right Tone for Your Writinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/29/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=29
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/29/#commentsThu, 08 Nov 2012 14:00:03 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=350https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/29/feed/17Lots of fun stuff today, a much of which came at Dave's expense. Poor Dave. - We started off by checking the voice mail bag: Cameron asked about re-setting the world in every book of his series The question was that in a series of books that don't i...Lots of fun stuff today, a much of which came at Dave's expense. Poor Dave.
We started off by checking the voice mail bag:
Cameron asked about re-setting the world in every book of his series
The question was that in a series of books that don't intersect or need to be read sequentially, should he "re-set" the setting in each book? Our answer was that this can be avoided by not spending a ton of time describing the setting in the first place and instead letting the characters experience the setting as they go through it. (This was something we discussed with Wool author Hugh Howey.)
Alex asked about the nuts and bolts of self-publishing
Alex wanted us to talk about the specific how-to stuff of self-pub… like how exactly to get your book into a Kindle format and onto the Kindle store, how to get a cover, etc. etc. etc. He also asked about costs of all of it. So we did the only logical thing: We procrastinated. Dave says he'll get us a guest soon to go through all of that so that we can just sit back and drink coffee/Diet Coke while someone else explains it. So stay tuned.
Gareth called in more feedback
For the third show in a row, we featured voicemail from Gareth, who this time just had a comment in which he totally copped out of the idea he had for a book, and this after calling in to say that he couldn't think of any ideas. That's bullshit, but Dave did enjoy listening to his voice.
Sean appealed to Z2134 readers to come to their defense
Sean butted in at this point to do some flagrant self-promotion that I (Johnny) of course shat on him a bit for, but in this case he made an appeal for something that you as our faithful SPP listeners can do that will really help this cheery, rainbow-farting host and his black-cloud companion.
Specifically, if you've read Z2134 and liked it, Sean and Dave would love it if you could leave a good review.
They're getting a lot of crap for being too similar to The Hunger Games. C'mon, folks… let's tilt those scales back the other way.
Setting the tone of your writing
We spent the rest of the show talking about how to determine the right "tone" for your writing. So for instance, everything Dave touches writing-wise has the tone of "dark enough to melt your soul," whereas all of the fiction I've published thus far has a very light, humor-meets-serious tone.
We were talking about this mostly around the new young adult project that Sean and I are working on, called Unicorn Western. The concept is bizarre and stupid. Cowboys ride unicorns, The smoke that comes out of the guns is pink. There's magic. But at the same time, after Sean gave me this ridiculous outline and I begin to follow it, I couldn't help but write with a more "straight" mood, like a traditional western.
And that's what we mean by tone. The story is what it is, but how is it HANDLED? What's the mood? One of our challenges with Unicorn Western is to find that mood, but once we hand it back and forth a few times, we'll have it firmly established for the rest of the series.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #29 - Finding the Right Tone for your WritingSelf Publishing Podcastno57:44self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 028 – Collaborating with Other Writershttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/28/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=28
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/28/#commentsThu, 01 Nov 2012 13:00:01 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=342https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/28/feed/24What a bummer this week for those of you who are so incredibly into staring at the three of us, as Google hates Sean and would not let him use Google Plus to start a Hangout On Air. So there's no YouTube version,What a bummer this week for those of you who are so incredibly into staring at the three of us, as Google hates Sean and would not let him use Google Plus to start a Hangout On Air. So there's no YouTube version, and Google has notified him that he's b...Self Publishing Podcastno55:42self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 027 – Dealing With Haters, With Guest Tucker Maxhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/27/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=27
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/27/#commentsThu, 25 Oct 2012 13:00:29 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=330https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/27/feed/11Today we have another celebrity guest - the guy who brands himself as an asshole, which makes him perfect for both SPP in general and for talking about haters in general. - But first... - Sean dances Gangnam Style to celebrate Z2134 making it into Am...Today we have another celebrity guest - the guy who brands himself as an asshole, which makes him perfect for both SPP in general and for talking about haters in general.
But first...
Sean dances Gangnam Style to celebrate Z2134 making it into Amazon's Top 100 list
'nuff said:
Then, shit got real.
Tucker Max Joins Us For Some Reason
Possibly because Sean slipped him some roofies at a convention a few weeks ago, Tucker Max, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell and other "Fratire" titles spun from the drunken and debaucherous tales of his twenties, joined us to talk about haters and how to deal with them.
Tucker, whose own website proclaims him to be an asshole, started out the conversation by doubling-down on our hater talk by discussing how he started his own meme, gaining "the bad kind of attention" by spreading press about how "Tucker Max advances rape culture" and attempting to rile up just the kinds of groups who would be most against his in-your-face brand of humor.
But then we brought it back to a less raucous level and discussed dealing with people who don't like your work, even if you didn't invite those people in.
A few of the topics we hit were:
• You are not your art, and if you can't make the separation between what you do and who you are, you really shouldn't be an artist.
• That said, the best approach to dealing with criticism for sensitive people is to go slowly and to have a firm social support network in place.
• Tucker Max the character is a slice of Tucker's life ten years ago, and even at the time that Tucker didn't represent the whole person. You can only show a slice of yourself and what you do, so keep that in mind when facing any praise or barbs.
• Remember that most "hating" on your work is about the person doing the hating, not about you or your work. You should take it as such.
• … and a whole lot more.
This is a crazy, crazy episode, folks… buckle yourself in tightly!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #27 - Dealing with Haters, with Guest Tucker MaxSelf Publishing Podcastno1:07:09self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 026 – World-Building for Writershttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/26/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/26/#commentsThu, 18 Oct 2012 13:00:45 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=323https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/26/feed/40This episode began with a big love-fest for Sean and Dave's new official Amazon Serial, Z2134. "Z" has been rising through the Amazon ranks all week and was knocking on the door of the top 100 paid list when we were recording, standing at #107. Now,This episode began with a big love-fest for Sean and Dave's new official Amazon Serial, Z2134. "Z" has been rising through the Amazon ranks all week and was knocking on the door of the top 100 paid list when we were recording, standing at #107. Now, in case you have your head up a large animal's butt and don't know these things, being in the top 100 is a big deal. That's where the serious sales and serious momentum start.
(And of course, #107 isn't much worse. If Z were a self-published book, Sean and Dave would really be raking in the dough. They may still be, but they don't know their numbers yet, and Amazon gets a bigger slice.)
The part where I praise Sean and Dave for being inspirational (yes, even Dave)
Here's why this matters to all of us.
The high ranking of Z is pulling up sales of all of their other titles, including Yesterday's Gone Season One, which already ranks and sells very well. So I (Johnny) spent a while drooling over and praising their example yet again: Sean and Dave are just two guys who didn't get any kind of amazing break, who didn't get their book pushed by Oprah, and who didn't have a freak viral spread of their book. They are where they are purely because of their workmanlike ethic, just working their assess off to produce tons of new content.
How to write when you can't build momentum
We took a voicemail from Scott, intended mainly for me, about getting stuck in trying to finish your book (because I'm the slow one, get it? Ha ha!). Scott has a book that he's been working on forever… he works for a while, gets derailed, then has to remember where he was when he starts again weeks or months later, then gets derailed after catching up but not actually writing anything new. He asked for tips on keeping momentum.
We had a few, mainly:
1. Outline as you go. Scott said that he spent a ton of time re-reading his stuff to remember the story, and ended up re-writing it in the process… and as a result, never made any forward progress. Dave suggested noting bullet points as you write in a separate document, so that you'll always have a quick-reference as to your story's plot.
2. When possible, IF possible, write through your times of stress. Not always do-able, but sometimes writing is about pushing through difficulty and, as we keep saying, just doing the work. I said that sometimes, we look for excuses not to write, and writers tend to seize such excuses readily. I strongly suggested reading Steven Pressfield's book The War of Art. Every writer should read it and learn to overcome "The Resistance."
3. Write something else. Dave said that if you can't push on and if you're not dying to write what happens next, there's a chance you're writing the wrong thing. Writing should be exciting and/or compelling to you, and you should want to know what happens next.
Sean reads questions from Paul (ideal for Anglophiles)
Because we've been on a "UK kick" recently with our callers, Sean read a few questions from Paul Wolfe. Remember Paul? He sent us questions. What an asshole to write instead of call, right?
Paul asked about publishing for US audiences from the UK… specifically, should he use US spellings of words in the title? We voted yes in most cases, because we Americans can't see past things like that a lot of times. So unless your story is set in the UK and is very UK centric, it's probably better to call your mystery entitled The Colour of Yoghurt to The Color of Yogurt.
Paul also asked about KDP Select and borrowing. When you enroll in KDP Select, Amazon Prime members can borrow one book a month for free, and that would then include yours. We said that we didn't really care about borrowing one way or another. The borrowing simply comes with the ability to run free promos, which is the real reason we want to be in KDP Select.
The where I wrote another book last week
In an attempt to keep up with the aforementioned crazy production of my co-hosts,Self Publishing Podcastno1:06:52self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 025 – Writing Processes That Will Make You a Better Writerhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/25/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/25/#commentsThu, 11 Oct 2012 13:00:06 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=310https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/25/feed/27We started this week's show off by reviewing how we, as writers and publishers, have improved in the 25 weeks we've been doing this podcast. We all seemed to feel that we've gotten better, faster, and generally more efficient and effective,We started this week's show off by reviewing how we, as writers and publishers, have improved in the 25 weeks we've been doing this podcast. We all seemed to feel that we've gotten better, faster, and generally more efficient and effective, but we couldn't say how. Love that specificity. But Sean did have one announcement:
Tucker Max is going to be on the show
You may know Tucker Max as the asshole who wrote I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, among other popular titles that all make him look like an asshole. I asked Sean, who enticed Tucker to come on in a few weeks via a plot that surely involved rohypnol, if Tucker was an asshole in person, and he said, "Oh yeah, he's a total cock." So of course we decided we had to have him on when we talk about dealing with haters. So stay tuned.
(NOTE: I hadn't been to Tucker's site before writing this, and now I see that his site begins with the line "My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole." The circle is complete.)
Questions!
We then answered questions from Kevin about how to publish a book in the UK and make it available everywhere (just publish it in the UK store and check the right boxes), from Gareth about writing tools we like (Scrivener is our baby, but there were a few other tips on this one), and from Tom about why you can't set your price below $0.99 on Amazon now (to our knowledge, it's always been that way). Then we had margaritas.
A long discussion on our writing processes
A large part of the fodder for this discussion was this post I wrote, called "From Idea to Publication on Kindle in 29 Days," so you might want to read it and/or follow along. (Even DAVE said it was good!)
But anyway, we spent the last half of the show talking about how we outline our work, write first drafts, edit our own stuff, send it out to beta readers and/or editors, and generally how we work.
A huge part of this discussion was devoted to Sean beating the shit out of me for not using an outside editor, most recently on my new book Fat Vampire. I had the impossible task of defending myself without looking like some sort of an assbag elitist, but I still don't want to use an editor even though I can't defend the decision. I really had no way to win here, so you'll enjoy this section if you like carnage.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #25 - Writing Processes that Will Make You a Better WriterSelf Publishing Podcastno1:09:23self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 024 – The Importance of a Writers’ Mastermindhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/24/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=24
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/24/#commentsThu, 04 Oct 2012 13:00:52 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=290https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/24/feed/17Everyone on the podcast had some awesome news to report this week… and the reason you should care is because it was our interaction with each other, in part, that made the good news possible. - We're a mastermind group of three writers -- a mastermind...Everyone on the podcast had some awesome news to report this week… and the reason you should care is because it was our interaction with each other, in part, that made the good news possible.
We're a mastermind group of three writers -- a mastermind group that broadcasts its meetings publicly -- and the information-sharing and accountability we all share is a lot of the reason behind how seriously we take our craft and our writing businesses, and hence the results we get.
Sean and Dave sign with Amazon's publishing arm
… but don't worry, because they're not selling out self-publishing. Far from it, actually. Because they're Sean and Dave, they're not deciding between self-publishing at all. They're simply adding a project. Amazon called them up and said, "Hey, you want to write a serial for our serials program that we'll own and get behind and push for you and make you popular?" and they were like, "Sure! We'll just add that to the fifty books each week we're already writing!"
Oh, but that's not all. They're actually doing TWO serials with Amazon… Z2134, which was previously self-published, and a new serial called Monstrous. You can get Z2134 for pre-sale right now.
You can read Sean's official announcement here… and of course we go into all of the legally-disclosable details on the show.
Johnny took an idea from conception to a finished book in 29 days
On Tuesday, I (Johnny) released my second book, a horror/humor novella called Fat Vampire. And that's awesome, and I hope you go check it out, but the bigger story is that thanks to my "masterminding" with Sean and Dave and my seeing how they work, I was able to get the idea (which came out of a hilarious discussion on Better Off Undead episode #6, write the book, have the cover made, and release the thing all in less than a month.
I actually wrote up my entire process in a blog post: From Idea to Publication on Kindle in 29 Days.
The Better Off Undead horror (um… really? It's about horror?) podcast is now threatening to kick SPP's ass
Oddly, the podcast we mentioned that we were starting way back in SPP episode #15 in order to better connect with people who might like of our type of writing is now as popular as this podcast. We talk about that a bit… the oddly useful experiment that is the Better Off Undead podcast.
So yeah. We're glad we did that.
We took voicemail questions
We were way behind on answering questions that people have submitted via that nice big phone number on our homepage, so we caught up on them a bit. We got through three of them, with three left for next week.
Hey, some progress!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #24 - The Importance of a Writers' MastermindSelf Publishing Podcastno1:05:58self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 023 – Interview with “Wool” Author Hugh Howeyhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/23/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=23
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/23/#commentsThu, 27 Sep 2012 13:00:24 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=281https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/23/feed/6Today we were joined by Hugh Howey, author of the runaway self-publishing success Wool. If you haven't read Wool, definitely pick it up and check it out. It's short and it's free. The best way to get the rest of the series if you like it is in the comp...Today we were joined by Hugh Howey, author of the runaway self-publishing success Wool. If you haven't read Wool, definitely pick it up and check it out. It's short and it's free. The best way to get the rest of the series if you like it is in the complete omnibus (Wool 1-5).
Books in the Wool series, just FYI, sell bazillions of copies monthly (an exact figure), and movie rights to the book were recently optioned by Fox and Ridley Scott.
We didn't dick around nearly as much before getting started this week, which must mean that we were eager to talk to Hugh. Or something.
Hugh Howey: Yes, he's had a lot of writing success. But nobody in the popular press talks about how he's a hybrid of Sean and Dave
Wool is the story of a dystopian society that lives in a buried silo after some sort of worldwide cataclysm, but what we didn't realize was how dystopian Hugh himself is. We were fooled by nice, friendly videos like this one of him opening fan gifts, this one of him surprising a young fan in a bookstore, and this one of him dancing to Soulja Boy while wearing funny slippers and a funny hat. But then he started telling us vintage Dave Wright trademarked thoughts that always ended with people eating other people because that's how life is and generally non-happy endings.
Oh, and then we almost kind of remembered to ask him about his self-publishing success. Right.
A few key points from our discussion:
* Hugh didn't promote Wool because he didn't believe in it as much as his other work and thought it was the most non-commercial, which just goes to show that you never know which of your writing projects might catch fire.
* He seems to have at least four projects going right now and moves between them as the urge and/or dominant direction of his fiction dictates, which I found odd. (But I'm currently writing three things all at once, so who's actually doing something odd here?)
* Unsurprisingly, one of Hugh's tips is to write a lot. That's a dominant theme here, right? You need a large "Amazon footprint" so that you can be found, and any given project has a chance to hit critical mass.
* More of Hugh's advice: Write a lot of different types of work that interest you rather than staying really narrow in focus, beat writer's block by writing something else (because if the book doesn't excite you, it won't excite a reader), and stop dead in the middle of scenes, paragraphs, or sentences when you're done for the day to create an open loop you're dying to close.
* One of the greatest things about Kindle and other e-book formats is the ability to experiment and get real-time fan feedback -- something you can't do with a traditional book and with many other hands on a project.
… and of course a whole, whole lot more.
Oh, and Hugh enjoyed hanging out with us so much and/or secretly hates life enough that he stuck around after this episode and joined us for Better Off Undead episode #9, which we recorded immediately afterward. Check that one out if you'd like an answer to, "Is Hugh actually the vampire version of Dave"?
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #23 - Interview with "Wool" author Hugh HoweySelf Publishing Podcastno1:03:14self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 022 – Using Video for Publicity, with Paul Wolfehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/22/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=22
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/22/#commentsThu, 20 Sep 2012 13:00:24 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=274https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/22/feed/14Because he really likes to chase shiny pennies, Sean has been flogging himself for almost two years now about not using YouTube and video in general more to publicize his fiction. Don't worry, I told him during the course of the show that he was being ...Because he really likes to chase shiny pennies, Sean has been flogging himself for almost two years now about not using YouTube and video in general more to publicize his fiction. Don't worry, I told him during the course of the show that he was being a neurotic douchebag because it's not like he's been eating chips and sitting on the couch… he's been writing ten fucking books a week or something as well as about a zillion other things. But then I realized that despite Sean's neurosis, video really kind of is something we authors should all be doing more of. Brainstorming on how to trick Dave into doing it for us began.
Johnny gets fat
I started this one off by proudly announcing that thanks to the inspiration and motivation and masterminding that these weekly podcasts give me, I've just completed a new novella called Fat Vampire, about a man who is turned into a vampire while overweight and out of shape, and who consequently clashes with the chic, thin, stylish, washboard-abs-and-salon-hair vampire set.
I wrote it in eleven days, and thanked the drive I get out of the podcasts (not to mention the spark of the idea itself) for making it happen -- something I hope the rest of you are feeling from listening to us.
Fat Vampire will be available in a few weeks.
Meet Paul Wolfe
Paul Wolfe, who Sean has known for a while now but has kept from us for some reason, has had some serious video-related success with his website where he teaches people how to play bass guitar. He's got almost 9000 YouTube subscribers to a string of videos about (shockingly) how to play the bass, 2.8 million views, and -- most importantly to us -- has built a 12,000 person mailing list almost entirely from traffic he's gotten from YouTube.
The trick with how Paul uses YouTube and his YouTube channel is that he doesn't want to build his YouTube audience. Once someone is on one of his videos, his goal is to immediately get them off of YouTube… and onto his website, where he can build that list, engage with them, and whatnot.
Paul gave us a lot of tips for how to maximize what we get out of putting our podcasts on YouTube, the biggest of which was to break our hour-long videos into more consumable, much shorter videos which are laser-focused on a specific topic.
Now, we're talking to authors about self-publishing here, but on our Better Off Undead podcast, we talk to our readers… and we put those videos up on YouTube too.
So with our Better Off Undead videos as an example, the lessons that follow apply to all authors who are trying to talk to readers via video.
(Side note: If you don't have a video podcast like we do, you could still just record videos like this as stand-alones rather than clipping them out of longer videos like we could.)
So if we talk about Stephen King's The Stand for five minutes during the course of a show, Paul suggested doing this:
1. Break that five minutes of us talking about The Stand out into a separate five-minute video.
2. Title it "Stephen King's The Stand" or "Why The Stand is awesome" or whatever, because those are the kinds of things people might search for or watch if they found.
3. Write the description such that keywords people might search for about "Stephen King" and "The Stand" appear and will be found in a search.
4. In the video, point people back to our site and/or a full version of the video on our site.
5. Then, let people find the video by searching, come to our site, fall in love with us, join our lists, and so on.
We also talked about a bunch of other strategies authors can use to build their audiences with video.
If you want the raw scoop on how to do all of this, be sure to visit Paul's marketing blog at OneSpoonAtATime.com.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #22 - Using Video for Publicity, with Paul WolfeSelf Publishing Podcastno1:09:20self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 021 – Serialization in Amazon’s New Serials Programhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/21/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=21
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/21/#commentsThu, 13 Sep 2012 13:00:29 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=263https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/21/feed/7We started this one out with an announcement that 1) We really like our own podcasts, 2) I'm eating a banana, and 3) I (Johnny) am writing a new story that is really damn hilarious and awesome but that I'm unwilling to tell you anything else about. - We started this one out with an announcement that 1) We really like our own podcasts, 2) I'm eating a banana, and 3) I (Johnny) am writing a new story that is really damn hilarious and awesome but that I'm unwilling to tell you anything else about.
Talk about useless.
Should you keep writing new stuff while you're editing an earlier project?
Despite the fact that we'd already rambled on for fifteen minutes, we spent 15 more minutes rambling on to answer a question Stacy emailed us about whether or not it makes sense to start working on a new writing project while editing something else.
Sean said he does but thinks it's not ideal.
I said that I don't have any problem with it at all and plan to edit my current project while writing the next one.
Dave opened a Diet Coke.
And like I said, a long-ass answer followed.
Amazon's new Kindle Serials program is awesome-looking, but not for indie authors yet
Last week, Amazon announced its new Kindle Serials program, which will allow readers to subscribe to a book once and receive updates over time.
This contrasts with the way Sean and Dave are serializing, which requires readers to either buy every single episode or to wait for the full "season" of six episodes and buy that.
The disadvantages of Sean and Dave's way are that they have to work-work-work-get paid, whereas the Kindle Serials program would let them get paid up front. It'd also be better for readers, who wouldn't have to buy multiple books and would get updates automatically, the same way podcast subscribers get new podcast updates automatically.
We spent a lot of time going back and forth, with questions like these:
The Kindle Serials program is currently invite-only. Will it ever roll out to all indie authors, or will serials authors have to be hand-picked by Amazon?
Will this hurt Sean and Dave's current model, because people will get used to the new paradigm?
Is this a good thing for ALL serials, because it makes serialization more mainstream?
Will a mainstream influx of new serials flood the marketplace?
and of course
What is the "deal" for Kindle Serials authors? They haven't announced it yet. It it like a traditional buying of a book by a publisher? What are authors paid?
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #21 - Serialization in Amazon's New Serials ProgramSelf Publishing Podcastno57:18self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 020 – Building and Trimming Your Tribehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/20/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/20/#commentsThu, 06 Sep 2012 13:00:10 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=256https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/20/feed/19Sean started this episode off by giving a great teaser for a movie. Apparently Sara Silverman is on a couch delivering lines and it's so funny. I mean, shit, I'm sold for sure. Creepy voicemail The first of our voicemail was creepy because Mike total...Sean started this episode off by giving a great teaser for a movie. Apparently Sara Silverman is on a couch delivering lines and it's so funny. I mean, shit, I'm sold for sure.
Creepy voicemail
The first of our voicemail was creepy because Mike totally worked it, hitting such show favorites as Dean Fucking Koontz, goths in trees, and Justin Bieber. He then said that we were awesome and worked in a question toward the end (though it was totally tacked on,) about which platform he should use for a first nonfiction book.
We said Amazon. Or iBooks, done through Lulu.com, which would be good for nonfiction. (There was more discussion, but this was the heart of it.)
The second voicemail from Cassandra was creepy because she expressed interest in my abs, which then led to a discussion of Dave's abs, which we decided could colorfully be described as "pendulous." She asked about Smashwords. We then discussed Smashwords. See how this works?
We had a final question that wasn't via voicemail and hence may or may not have been creepy. It was from Scott, who asked about converting a largely graphic book to Kindle. The short version is that we have no fucking idea, but that we think it's damn near impossible to literally use all those images.
Building your tribe and telling others to piss off -- and no, not literally, but we know what the real score is
There's a ton to this discussion, but the short version is that you can't try and talk to everyone in your books, your marketing, and in your online platform. You have to be yourself and accept that some people won't like you… because only by allowing some people to not like you will you form strong bonds with the people who DO like you.
Food for discussion on this point is Derek Sivers's post Reach Them Like You Would Want To Be Reached, which introduces the oft-cited (by me, anyway) concept of "proudly alienating" people who don't resonate with your message. Note that this is PROUD alienation, meaning that you're not just accepting that some people won't like you. You're PROUD that they don't resonate; you're saying, "Awesome. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out."
The genesis of this idea recently, though, came from Sean's experience with his Digital Writer site. He found out that the people on that rather large list were not his ideal people. So he wrote a tactful "fuck off if you don't agree with my new direction, and join me if you do" post and email to that list and ended up with a much smaller -- but a much better and more resonant -- list that represented his true tribe.
So… don't shoot for a zillion people who "kind of like you." Be real and shoot for a smaller list of people who LOVE you.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #20 - Building and Trimming Your TribeSelf Publishing Podcastno52:33self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 019 – Buying Reviews and Other Scammy Bullshit We Hatehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/19/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=19
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/19/#commentsThu, 30 Aug 2012 13:00:00 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=244https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/19/feed/25I (Johnny) started this show off with two shocking announcements. - Shocking announcements! After our discussion last time with Joanna Penn, I admitted to being intrigued by the promising nature of the erotica genre and to having downloaded and read ...I (Johnny) started this show off with two shocking announcements.
Shocking announcements!
After our discussion last time with Joanna Penn, I admitted to being intrigued by the promising nature of the erotica genre and to having downloaded and read 50 Shades of Alice in Wonderland during a brief family getaway at the beach last weekend. Sean asked if I decided to write erotica, if I'd talk about it on the show and I dodged the question. Dave offered his visage for potential hot and sweaty cover photos. Or at least sweaty.
I further admitted to eating during the taping because I hadn't eaten lunch: sunflower seeds and beef jerky. Dave asked me to talk at more length about my eating habits.
An update on our Better Off Undead podcast guerrilla (not gorilla) marketing plan
A few episodes ago, we talked about reaching our potential readers via a new zombie podcast called Better Off Undead, and now, after releasing just four episodes, I gave an update on how well that's going.
Short version: It's going great, and is actually growing faster than SPP grew at the time. Our episode on fast vs. slow zombies was particularly huge, netting almost 1300 downloads so far, which is a number it takes an average SPP episode a month or so to hit. So yeah, it's going well, and after only a month of recording.
Oh, and if you're into horror or the supernatural (or just enjoy three guys who can't stop laughing and making fun of each other while pretending to talk about horror or the supernatural) be sure to subscribe to Better Off Undead.
Buying reviews is for scammy douchebags
This all began for us when Dave passed around a link to an article about a guy who was selling reviews to self-published authors. The basic gist is that for a fee, the guy would say that your book was awesome -- and he'd say it more times if you paid more, of course. The hammer was that self-publishing success story John Locke used this guy's services… which in our minds kind of invalidates a lot of what John said was his route to success.
There's a ton to this, but a few of the bullet points are:
There's a fine line between buying reviews and quid pro quo reviews and the kind of natural, organic reviews that result from solid relationships built with fans… but like obscenity, we all know the bullshit stuff when we see it.
It's tempting to lose faith in the system of reviews on the internet and on Amazon in particular, but we believe that it's in Amazon's best interests to develop algorithm changes that will weed out bogus stuff… and so they probably will, in time.
The worst thing about this is that it's tempting to feel like we're all suckers for NOT cheating, because it's like trying to swim with ankle weights while all of the bullshitters are making big and seemingly easy gains. But don't be tempted; it's ultimately not worth it and not as valuable in the long-term as building a real business and readership based on quality. Fodder for this discussion: Tommy Walker's article on the truth about online manipulation and the follow-up.
ALL kinds of "gaming the system" strategies are short-term games that sacrifice long-term success. The stuff we talk about in this episode is no exception. Your best strategy if you're serious about being a real author with a solid, loyal fan base is to be honest and not try to cheat by buying reviews.
Questions! Questions!
We had a few minutes at the end to catch up on some of the questions people have sent us. (We love questions! Call us to submit yours.)
Steve asked about which fonts to use. Unfortunately, we didn't have much to say on the topic. Dave likes Georgia, though.
Christy asked if writing fiction was our full-time job, and if so, when we made the switch. I am DEFINITELY not a full-time-income fiction writer, but Sean and Dave are essentially there, though Sean says they leapt before they were truly ready, which was ballsy.
Christina asked about picking titles for fiction.Self Publishing Podcastno1:06:30self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 018 – Going from Self Publishing to Getting a Literary Agent, with Joanna Pennhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/18/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=18
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/18/#commentsThu, 23 Aug 2012 13:00:52 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=237https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/18/feed/11We started this with our traditional banter, touching on topics from 1) me being inspired by the Self Publishing Podcast (how modest!) to 2) Dave moving to a day schedule to 3) Dave's true nature being soft and cuddly. It was worthless but fun,We started this with our traditional banter, touching on topics from 1) me being inspired by the Self Publishing Podcast (how modest!) to 2) Dave moving to a day schedule to 3) Dave's true nature being soft and cuddly. It was worthless but fun, just like how we occasionally are on topic.
Voice mail fun involving profanity and how to market your Kindle books
We took two some cool voicemails before starting with our guest, Joanna Penn.
The first was uncredited, probably because his voice message exposes himself to be a motherfucking douchebag assbag cocksucker, and was about using profanity in our writing. Do we do it deliberately, or do we do it "as it falls out of our dickholes"? (I can't believe people think this podcast is "blokish." Can you?
The second question was about marketing we've done that didn't work. I said that nothing has really worked for me and that Podiobooks hasn't done much for me probably because I only have one book. Sean said that guest posting and the Kindle Fire giveaway they did were worthless. Dave took a nap.
Live, with Joanna Penn!
We then teased for an update on our Better Off Dead podcast while our guest, Joanna Penn (she's got a fiction site and a nonfiction site) downloaded something to make our hookup work. Then she came on and we dropped the Better Off Undead update, thus being annoying assholes. But what else is new? (We'll give that update next time.)
Joanna is interesting to us for a lot of reasons, but the one that had us calling her to be on SPP was the fact that after a very successful self-publishing run for two of the three books in her historical/religion-based ARKANE thriller series (Pentecost and Prophecy), selling almost 50,000 books, she announced that she was signing with an agent with the goal of finding a publisher to take over the series, and maybe more of her work as well.
We took a lot out of the discussion of why she made the leap and what's behind it, but here are a few of the important takeaways:
Today more than ever, authors are empowered. It used to be you had to lick the boots of agents because they were your only way in. That's no longer true, and it puts us in stronger bargaining positions.
If you think you might want to be traditionally published one day, using self-publishing as a springboard is maybe the best way. It's a way for you to prove that you can sell BEFORE they take you on. It also gives you a platform, and authors need audiences first if agents or publishers are to pay attention to them.
You can and should pay close attention to your contract. Joanna has tips.
Rights are negotiable. Joanna is still able to self publish. Her agent may or may not represent her later stuff, at her discretion.
Foreign rights matter. Joanna and Sean had a back and forth on this in which Sean thought Joanna was validating his cause in front of the stodgy Dave, but I came to Dave's defense because Sean's argument for translating his stuff and Joanna's are apples and oranges.
And a lot more stuff.
Oh, we also discussed this incredibly phallic book cover. We're going to make you listen to find out why, though.
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast Episode #18 - Going from Self Publishing to Getting a Literary Agent, with Joanna PennSelf Publishing Podcastno1:06:11self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 017 – Writing Rituals That Will Make You a Better Writerhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/17/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=17
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/17/#commentsThu, 16 Aug 2012 13:00:38 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=225https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/17/feed/12We got a lot of email and questions and voicemails last week, but two things happened that I am hereby going to blame for the fact that we didn't address any of that or answer any of the emails until yesterday: - 1.We got a lot of email and questions and voicemails last week, but two things happened that I am hereby going to blame for the fact that we didn't address any of that or answer any of the emails until yesterday:
1. Apparently GMail changed its spam algorithm and started sending all stuff sent via our contact form to spam. Awesome! It's sorted now, though.
and also,
2. Audacity, the program I use to process the voicemail audio files, was being a bitch. So I couldn't do that in time either.
So we'll get to your questions next time. Sorry about that.
How to use your mailing list for marketing and keeping in touch with readers
We were able to take one question from S.A. about how's the best way to manage your reader email list, and how often to send stuff to them. Sean said you should send them stuff every week. I said that I would never send them stuff every week, but would instead wait until I had something meaningful to say. A brawl ensued.
Dave then proposed blogging more often about ourselves, and Sean and I shit all over him.
I read an ancient story from my past
This weekend, my mom gave me back my Dr. Seuss My Book About Me, which I had filled out when I was six years old. The book contained a story I'd written longhand about an adventure undertaken by a cat named Bob and a dinosaur named Stegy. I decided to take two and a half minutes to read it, while stumbling over the misspellings ("uvcors" = "of course") and lack of punctuation. I'm still not sure if this was a cute look into the development of a storyteller or just stupid. You can decide.
Here's a scan of the pages I was reading from. See if YOU can read my jumble:
You could probably take some kind of a moral from this. The one I took was "You have to be willing to go through the phase where you're a shitty storyteller before you can hope to become a good one," but feel free to also take from this "Holy fuck was Johnny incoherent!"
Rituals that will make you a better or at least more productive writer
This section started with me reading Steven Pressfield's ritual from the first chapter of The War of Art and contained a LOT of Sean bagging on Dave for having no schedule and being totally inefficient. I tried to come to Dave's defense, saying that if Dave gets the words out, Sean should back off. Sean said that Dave could still get the words out but work fewer hours. A brawl ensued.
My contention about Pressfield, though -- and we all agreed that this was the best way to look at rituals -- is that you shouldn't rely on pixie dust to write good stuff. You should treat it like work. You show up, you sit down, and you do it.
Here are few of our hints and tips and habits:
• You MUST eliminate distractions, including phones and email. ESPECIALLY email.
• In fact, read this now, and then read the follow up, which is where the hammer really falls. Those are two posts I wrote about learning that checking email only twice a day is the best productivity enhancer and time-saver ever. Then, after reading commit to ONLY ANSWERING EMAIL DURING DEDICATED TIMES. This is hard to do, but you will be AMAZED what it does for your ability to write.
• I always start at 6am and write for around two hours. My coffee is prominent in here.
• Sean suggests working in 90-minute blocks, to keep things fresh. You can add more blocks later in the day if you want more writing time.
• We like the idea of stopping dead in the middle of a hot scene instead of finishing it and starting next time with a fresh scene. Doing the latter is like stopping a train completely; it will take you time to get back up to speed. Doing the former is like jumping from a moving train and then running to hop back on later. It's already going, so it's easy to keep going in your next session.
• Dave and I like to write to music. It sets a mood and blocks out the outside world.
• We all like writing in the wee hours of the morning, but I find I'm frustrated by the need to sleep.Self Publishing Podcastno1:05:12self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 016 – Using Kindle and Self Publishing to Build Your Businesshttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/16/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=16
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/16/#commentsThu, 09 Aug 2012 13:00:18 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=213https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/16/feed/24We talk a ton about self-publishing your fiction on this podcast, but we know a lot of you are into publishing nonfiction and/or using platforms like Kindle e-publishing to promote your business. We all want to make money,We talk a ton about self-publishing your fiction on this podcast, but we know a lot of you are into publishing nonfiction and/or using platforms like Kindle e-publishing to promote your business. We all want to make money, but the nonfiction route is arguably more direct. That's mostly what we talk about in this episode.
But first, we talked about a few other loose ends.
I'm loving writing to music
I read in what could be called this podcast's bible -- On Writing -- that Stephen King writes while listening to loud music like Metallica and AC/DC. This always seemed strange to me because I need total silence to concentrate. But what he says is that the music is "just another way of closing the door," and you need a closed door in order to write.
But, prior to these past two weeks, I've only had two hours a day to write (6-8am), and they're fitful hours at best because although the house is at its quietest then, I'm still constantly interrupted. And if I sleep in, I'm fucked. I can't write that day. That sucks. I figured if I could learn to write to music, I could write whenever I wanted… and so I made myself try.
It's amazing. I recommend anyone who is unable to find distraction-free time give it a shot… and if you think you'll be distracted by the lyrics, I thought that too. It took a bit of getting used to, but now the door is fully shut, and I can write whenever.
In case you're wondering, I'm currently writing to Eminem's Recovery album and Rob Zombie's Past, Present & Future. I've also tried Rancid, Bad Religion, Green Day, Social Distortion, and a few others. Social Distortion's White Light White Heat White Trash is probably my favorite to write to so far.
NOTE: I think a key to making this work is getting a good set of comfortable, "cans" style headphones. This is the pair I use, and they're AMAZING. Check 'em out.
Self-publishing for nonfiction and business strategy
Then we got on to the main topic. But first…
DISCLAIMER: We say toward the end of this episode that the Kindle Marketplace is not some kind of a spam playground, or at least that it shouldn't be. Don't think "make money by publishing on Kindle." Think "promote using e-publishing as one intelligent strategy" or "sell a lot of good, solid books on a topic people care about." There's too much get-rich-quick thinking in this area, and it WILL come back to bite get-rich-quickers in the ass. An intelligent business strategy is a much better investment of your time and energy.
With that out of the way, we talk about how to:
How to target and organize your nonfiction book
When to use which strategies -- breaking your book into nuggets vs. using a single, larger book
• How to use a nonfiction book as a call to action for another part of your business
• How to use nonfiction as lead generation.
This is what I'm doing. I have a book, The Universe Doesn't Give a Flying Fuck About You, that was simply a repurposed post from my blog that I put up on Amazon so it could reach people that my blog couldn't. What surprised me was that it sold very well on Amazon at 99 cents, probably due to its title. So, I recently made it permanently free and it now "sells" around 80-100 copies per day.
I'm using this to get new leads for my business. I have a manifesto called How To Be Legendary that is very much in the same style as the "Universe" post/e-book that I'll be releasing shortly, and when this funnel is complete and the manifesto posted, it'll work like this:
1. The "Universe" post sells for free on Amazon, and thousands of people get it each month.
2. There's a call to action at the end of that e-book, telling people about How to Be Legendary
3. People go to my site and get the manifesto. In doing so, they're joining my email list.
4. They'll get a series of emails about the same topic.
5. Those emails end in a pitch for a new "legendary" (and very inexpensive) membership program I'm developing.
Self Publishing Podcastno1:02:46self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 015 – Guerilla Publicity Through Podcasting and Responding to Criticism of Your Writinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/15/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=15
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/15/#commentsThu, 02 Aug 2012 13:00:42 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=202https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/15/feed/17This week's topic was ostensibly "dealing with and responding to criticism of your work," but as usual we screwed around and covered a bunch of random other topics first. Our new podcast as a way of connecting with readers This week's topic was ostensibly "dealing with and responding to criticism of your work," but as usual we screwed around and covered a bunch of random other topics first.
Our new podcast as a way of connecting with readers
Remember all the times Dave has said that you should go to where your readers are, and get in there with them, talking about the stuff you write about and that they're interested in? So if you're into sci-fi, find sci-fi readers in forums. Start a sci-fi blog. Go to where they are and become a voice in that niche, so that when they want more of that stuff they love, your books can provide it.
In that spirit, we're proud to announce our new zombie, vampire, and generally monster-and-horrorific podcast, Better Off Undead.
Now, if you know (and love!) my novel, The Bialy Pimps, you may be wondering how a horror podcast is remotely in-line for me. The answer is that I'm currently working on a zombie trilogy, so it'll be in-line with my for-sale items soon enough. Sean and Dave are working on a new zombie trilogy, and their current titles are all supernatural horror.
This stuff -- the world of supernatural movies, books, and comics, as well as series like The Walking Dead and True Blood -- is stuff we love to watch and read, and stuff we love to talk and write about. So it was a no-brainer.
In our first episode, which is available now, we kick off with something fun, thus proving that we're not all about gore and being scary -- a review of the epically terrible film Birdemic: Shock and Terror.
You must -- MUST! -- watch the video below of some of the best action from Birdemic:
So if you'd like to watch us review that motherfucker, head on over and subscribe to Better Off Undead.
And of course, we'll report on how it impacts our book sales and general self-pub efforts here as time goes on.
Johnny's Podiobook release update
In our episode about creating audiobooks with Podiobooks.com's Evo Terra, we mentioned that the free, totally free, and also free version of my novel, The Bialy Pimps, is now available. I gave an update as to how that's helping me promote. Three things stand out:
1. There were around 3000 downloads of episodes of my podiobook in the first 6 days, but
2. I have zero idea if this is helping me, and
3. We all suspect that this strategy works best if you have multiple books, which I don't yet.
But one has to be your first podiobook, and I have mine online. That's not something Sean and Dave can say. Suck it, Sean and Dave!
This really is a grassroots, DIY world for artists
We took a brief diversion to talk about Patton Oswalt's keynote address at Montreal's Just For Laughs 2012, where he talks about how comedy (and, by extension, any art form, like writing) has fundamentally changed. You no longer take one big shot and then rocket to stardom. This is a day in which our success is all up to us. That's both the good news and the bad news.
We also touched on Amanda Hocking, who just signed with a traditional publisher. Dave mentioned offline that she keeps roughly the same schedule as he does, thus proving once more that he's very much like a semi-goth girl.
Criticism: When to use it and when to ignore it
Our main topic takes up over half of the podcast, but takes up a very small portion of these show notes. Maybe it's because I'm tired of typing.
Sean and Dave talked about the feedback and reader criticism that caused them to change (add to) the ending of Season 3 of Yesterday's Gone, and said that this was an example of "good" criticism, because it helped them improve.
We also talked about criticism that sucks and that we don't like to read… and that you can often safely ignore and not take personally. The person giving you a negative review or leaving a negative comment probably didn't mean it as a personal attack. It was probably just a case of your stuff not being right for them. And it's part of the game of being an artist, unfortunately.
Self Publishing Podcastno1:02:49self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 014 – Using Audiobooks and Free Distribution to Build Your Readership, with Podiobooks.com’s Evo Terrahttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/14/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=14
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/14/#commentsThu, 26 Jul 2012 13:00:14 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=178https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/14/feed/4I knew we'd be in for a fun ride this week as we talked to Evo Terra, one of the creators of Podiobooks.com, a service that syndicates audiobooks for free via podcast feeds. - I (Johnny) became interested in Podiobooks and mentioned it first in SPP ep...I knew we'd be in for a fun ride this week as we talked to Evo Terra, one of the creators of Podiobooks.com, a service that syndicates audiobooks for free via podcast feeds.
I (Johnny) became interested in Podiobooks and mentioned it first in SPP episode 7 as yet another underexploited guerrilla tactic to go out and get more readers.. So did Sean and Dave, but while they sat on their audio files (Dave's fault. He claims an excuse involving goths), I published mine.
So, as of today, right now, my book, The Bialy Pimps, is available at Podiobooks. Check it out. It's free, yo.
But what's the point of a podcast audiobook as a publicity tool for self-published authors? Why would we do this? Why should you consider doing this? And how did the Podiobooks guys get the idea for something so nutty in the first place?
Evo is a long-time podcaster (he's one of the authors of Podcasting for Dummies), so when a few author friends became frustrated with their inability to distribute their work, Evo came up with the idea for a Podiobooks, which allowed authors to distribute their stuff in a totally grassroots, totally without-gatekeepers kind of way that nobody was really doing. It allowed readers, on the other hand, to follow the books in installments, for free, via whatever listening devices they wanted. Serialization came to audio fiction. The authors (the best known of which is Scott Sigler, who has had mondo success thanks to Podiobooks) got the audience they were looking for. Win freakin' win.
The way it works is like this:
1. People looking for interesting podcast and/or audiobook stuff find your audiobook via search on a podcast directory or online. (Or, today, now that Podiobooks has its own audience, people also simply find you right on the Podiobooks.com site).
2. These people subscribe to your audiobook using iTunes or another podcast directory in the way they'd subscribe to any podcast. (SIDE NOTE:If the idea of subscribing to a podcast confuses you, here's a video showing you how to find and subscribe to something in iTunes. You should now test it by searching iTunes for "The Bialy Pimps" and subscribing to my podiobook.)
3. People get to know you, your name, your personality, and all of the other stuff we talk about.
4. These people, now interested in you, become fans. They might buy the text version of your current book or they might buy later books.
5. Phat stacks of cash ensue. (Okay, maybe not always.)
It's just one more way to get out there in a DIY way. And it's pretty cool.
We'll of course update you on how well our Podiobooks experiments go right here, but in the meantime, be sure to get the free Podiobooks version of The Bialy Pimps. And tell your friends!
To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast Episode #14 - Using Free Distribution to Build Your Readership w/ Evo TerraSelf Publishing Podcastno1:03:18self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 013 – Writing Better, Faster, and More Efficiently Using Scrivener, with Gwen Hernandezhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/13/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=13
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/13/#commentsThu, 19 Jul 2012 13:00:04 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=168https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/13/feed/20This week, we delved in deep on what we feel is the best writing tool anywhere, ever, since the invention of the pencil: Scrivener. For this epic discussion of our favorite writing software, we managed to coerce Gwen Hernandez,This week, we delved in deep on what we feel is the best writing tool anywhere, ever, since the invention of the pencil: Scrivener. For this epic discussion of our favorite writing software, we managed to coerce Gwen Hernandez, author of the upcoming Scrivener for Dummies book, to join us on the podcast.
Gwen started as a nonfiction author, decided she wanted to write romantic suspense and wrote a lot of it, but ended up blogging tips about the software she used to write it. She became known as an authority on Scrivener and ended up getting her first book credit for a book about what she used to write her books, which was very meta.
Among the amazing cool things Scrivener has going for it are:
It allows you to drag and drop scenes from place to place
It keeps all of your writing -- and all of your research -- in one contained place
It allows you to make annotations and comments in your work so that you can keep writing fast and address your short-term concerns later
It allows you, as a self-published author, to do all the "heavy lifting" of proper formatting for different devices/platforms on your own
It works for fiction, nonfiction, scripts, novels, novellas, short stories, and any other form of writing
It saves your work meticulously, so that you're always backed up and never lose anything you write
It allows you to take "snapshots" of your project before making changes, just to be sure and to allow you to revert at any time
… and about a billion other cool things.
Gwen also outlined a few cool features in this blog post about how to write fast.
The wrap-up
After we let Gwen go lest she contaminate herself with how idiotic all of us are after a while, we continued to kiss Scrivener's ass as being awesome.
We then built a shrine to Scrivener.
We sacrificed cows to Scrivener.
We ran around naked in the moonlight in tribute to Scrivener.
We then noted (seriously this time) that Scrivener gives you a 30-use trial to see if you like it and encouraged you to try it out so that you can see how terrible Microsoft Word truly is compared to its awesomeness.
Oh, and then we gave you this link again so that if you wanted to pick up Scrivener, I could get a commission. Thank you!
Sean also made a point to say that we should link this video about how James Ellroy Hates Everything in the show notes. It's not relevant at all, but it's funny as shit so we wanted to share it.Self Publishing Podcastno1:00:39self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 012 – Rule-Breaking, Voice, and Style for the Self-Published Authorhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/12/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=12
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/12/#commentsThu, 12 Jul 2012 13:00:36 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=158https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/12/feed/14Lots to offer in this episode... check it out. We're live-streaming video! We started this episode by announcing that we were, for the first time, streaming the video feed of the Google Hangout we were using to record the podcast. Sean,Lots to offer in this episode... check it out.
We're live-streaming video!
We started this episode by announcing that we were, for the first time, streaming the video feed of the Google Hangout we were using to record the podcast. Sean, Dave and I have always recorded our podcasts while also using video so that we could catch each other's visual cues (like Dave mooning his webcam), but from here on out we'll also broadcast that video.
You can visit and/or subscribe to our Self Publishing Podcast YouTube channel, or you can watch the archived video of this week's episode directly.
NOTE: Our intention is to record EVERY Tuesday at 3pm Eastern US time and to broadcast/stream our video in this same way, but we suck at coordination of such things and will certainly not adhere to that schedule exactly. But in general, if you want a laugh, try checking our YouTube channel at 3pm on Tuesdays. Most Tuesdays we should be there, live. (Maybe we'll even figure out how to do live chat eventually, too.)
Structuring Serials
We took a question from John about how Sean and Dave structure serials, and if it's different from structuring a novel. They answered the question (Sean had to hear it twice, because he wasn't paying attention). Because the question wasn't for me, I took a nap.
Grammar, rules of writing, following rules so you don't look like an amateur, and breaking rules because rules suck
We spent the bulk of the episode addressing a question submitted by Scott via email. Here's the meat of the email that Scott sent us:
I am 39 years old and haven't written a damn thing since I was a kid. I've got tons of ideas floating around for a short fiction novel, but never had the balls to put them down on paper...until now. That said, I have some anxiety about writing, particularly as it relates to the proper usage of grammar and punctuation.
I would very much enjoy hearing you guys get into some basic discussion about how you each structure a novel. For example, I find myself getting stumped on proper paragraph structure. I've read some people use as little as one sentence...others suggest sticking to the 5-7 sentence per paragraph structure. Basically, some writing and grammar tips 101 from you guys would be helpful.
I know this sounds incredibly basic, but for fuckers like me who paid very little attention in school and never went to college, this can be a source of great anxiety.
There's a lot to this question. I feel that the many, many, many other people who I've found have questions like this have been duped by teachers and other authorities into believing that there is a "right" way to write, and that if you don't adhere to those "correct rules," you have no business writing and are just going to embarrass yourself.
In truth, most of the decisions about paragraph length, sentence length, tense, and general style end up comprising an author's voice... and there is no one correct "voice" for anyone to have.
But still, even if you believe that and choose to consciously defy some of those rules, you need to do so willfully and intentionally, not accidentally because you simply don't know any better. To that end, we suggest everyone who'd like a firm grounding in how to use grammar and punctuation properly check out these books:
The Elements of Style
On Writing (of course)
Eats, Shoots, & Leaves
And on counterpoint, here's a post that Sean wrote called 10 Grammar Rules You Can (and Should!) Ignore!
If you choose to break rules, know them first... and have a damn good reason for breaking those rules. But don't let someone else's opinion hold you back.
This episode is chock-full of goodness. We talk about the rule-breaking style of Fight Club and House of Leaves and why the voice and style used in a certain passage in American Psycho gives me serious creeps. Also included: Why reading Clive Barker is like eating a really rich dessert.
To view the video version of this episode,Self Publishing Podcastno57:47self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 011 – Developing Great Characters and Why We Share Our “Secrets”https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/11/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=11
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/11/#commentsThu, 05 Jul 2012 13:00:03 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=146https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/11/feed/24Before getting into our main topic about building great characters, we took a voicemail call from Frank. Frank's question boiled down to: "Why are you giving away your self-publishing tricks and secrets? What's in it for you?" Before getting into our main topic about building great characters, we took a voicemail call from Frank. Frank's question boiled down to:
"Why are you giving away your self-publishing tricks and secrets? What's in it for you?"
And that's an interesting question -- one we asked ourselves as recently as Self Publishing Podcast episode 9. The full answer is long, illustrative, and thought-provoking, but here are a few of the reasons we podcast about what works for us in self publishing:
Thinking and talking about this stuff all the time gives us great ideas about how to improve our writing, our marketing, our process, and our funnels.
Being in "the writing headspace" helps us to write better because we're constantly thinking of ourselves as writers.
We meet new people, learn new things, and make new connections... such as when we met Ed Robertson and talked about how to understand Amazon's algorithms, and our upcoming (July 26th) episode with guest Evo Terra.
We reach a ton of new people, make new friends, and generally build our platforms.
We come to think of writing in new ways... like when I (who in episode 8 said I didn't understand how two writers could ever write a book together) announced that Sean and I were going to write a book together in episode 9.
This is a mastermind group for us. Everyone should have a mastermind group. Ours is simply public.
And lastly,
This is all moot because there are no secrets. These are things we're trying, and plenty don't work. We're on this journey together, and we know we'll learn from you as you learn from us.
And ultimately, it all boils down to doing great writing anyway. All the "secrets" in the world won't help a shitty product.
Developing great characters
After that discussion, we got down to our main topic, all about developing characters.
Characters drive your story. Even if you're writing nonfiction, it helps to think of yourself as a character in your own nonfiction story... and to use that "fiction-like element" in your nonfiction.
Here are a few of the things we think about creating characters, out of order and with no respect paid here in print to whose tips they are:
Take shortcuts to creating characters by giving them a "foundation." This could mean borrowing traits from real people or borrowing people in full. (Johnny admits to starting with real people -- and going so far as to use their real names in the first draft.)
As your story progresses, your characters will outgrow the foundation you laid for them. They stop being the people you borrowed from life, and become unrecognizable. (NOTE: if you use Johnny's trick, be damn sure to change their names at this point.)
You can write a ton, trying to get "fluent" with the characters and the story, and just plan to cut out all of the "throat clearing" you did in print simply to get to know the characters. (Tipsters here include Tarantino and Hemmingway.)
Remember that characters are not "good" or "evil." Good evil characters sometimes do good things. Good nice characters sometimes do bad things.
Try to see your characters, within the story, from other characters' points of view. They will appear different through different lenses.
What are your tips and ideas on character development? Leave them below in the comments!
Self Publishing Podcastno55:16self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 010 – Why Self-Published Authors NEED a Platform (and What It Should Look Like)https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/10/#commentsThu, 28 Jun 2012 13:00:27 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=145https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/10/feed/12We selfishly (but with the dual intention of giving y'all some ideas) started this episode by giving an update on what we're currently doing to expand and get the most out of our burgeoning self-publishing empires.We selfishly (but with the dual intention of giving y'all some ideas) started this episode by giving an update on what we're currently doing to expand and get the most out of our burgeoning self-publishing empires. I (Johnny) am doing the most different things, but Sean and Dave are doing more productive things. FOR NOW, PLATT AND WRIGHT... MUHAHAHAHA...
Here's the Johnny stuff we talked about:
I started the process of getting The Bialy Pimps into the Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iBook stores
I'm in the process of making "The Universe Doesn't Give a Flying Fuck About You" permanently free on Amazon and elsewhere. I'm doing this because the title already sells like mad at 99 cents, and I want to remove all barriers to people getting it. (I'm using it as a lead generation tool, and the start of one of my marketing funnels)
The Bialy Pimps will officially be launching as a free podcast audiobook on July 25th.
Sean and Dave, for their part, are happy to announce the debut of Yesterday's Gone, episodes 13 and 14... the first two episodes in the long-anticipated third season. Definitely check it out if you like apocalyptic fiction and what Dave calls "dark whore."
Using pen names with the man from Mars
... or named Mars.
Mars called in with a cool German accent and a question about using pen names if he wants to write 1) nonfiction about marketing and branding and aslo 2) fiction.
Sean and Dave both said he should use a pen name. I more or less agreed that Mars should use a pen name in his case, but argued that in certain cases (like mine), the content areas aren't quite as mutually exclusive and that the reader is connecting more with the PERSON than the INDIVIDUAL WORK and that a pen name divides your audience who otherwise might like to read everything you wrote. Hey, it worked for ISAAC FUCKING ASIMOV, I said.
I think Sean and Dave won this debate, because they know a lot more about how to have your cake and eat it too, by both letting your people know all of what you write but keeping Amazon from confusing people who don't know you yet. And also, I was talking a lot out of my ass.
Why you, as a self-published author, need a platform
Plain and simple, a "platform" is a way you have of connecting with your readers outside of your published works themselves. It's a way of building a community, being able to talk with people, and so on.
A few key concepts we discuss:
Our best suggestion is a blog. Dave was all, "Blogger is fine, you guys!" but Sean and I put the smack down on him and are STRONGLY suggesting a self-hosted Wordpress blog as your author platform. Our best suggestion for web hosting is Hostgator (that's an affiliate link), or if you'd like someone to do it all for you, you can hire Sean's guys at OutstandingSetup.com to do it for you.
But if you don't want to do that, Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus can be your platform. Or forums. Or anywhere else where you can become known, and get people following what you do.
But again, ideally, you'll want your own site because then you can build a list of these people and be able to connect with them directly. (We can talk more about this later if you'd like. Let us know.)
And lastly, the rule with platform is NOT "If you build it, they will come." We talk in this episode about that fallacy... and how YOU need to go to THEM. They won't give a shit about you and/or seek you out if you leave them to their own devices.Self Publishing Podcastno57:44self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 009 – Podiobooks Releases and Giving Yourself Permission to be a Writerhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/9/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=9
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/9/#commentsThu, 21 Jun 2012 13:00:51 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=138https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/9/feed/29Sean and Dave are anomalies in many ways, but probably the most relevant here (and safe to discuss in mixed company) is the fact that they've laid it all on the line and are essentially writing their fiction for a living. - That's not normal. - Sean and Dave are anomalies in many ways, but probably the most relevant here (and safe to discuss in mixed company) is the fact that they've laid it all on the line and are essentially writing their fiction for a living.
That's not normal.
Most ...Self Publishing Podcastno1:09:14self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 008 – BlogWorld Review and Wrapup and the State of Self-Publishinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/8/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=8
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/8/#commentsThu, 14 Jun 2012 12:00:25 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=131https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/8/feed/12We'd intended to bulldoze right into this episode and start talking about my (Johnny's) findings at BlogWorld & New Media Expo (which will henceforth be called simply "New Media Expo"; they're mixing it up, those crazy guys) as they pertain to writers,We'd intended to bulldoze right into this episode and start talking about my (Johnny's) findings at BlogWorld & New Media Expo (which will henceforth be called simply "New Media Expo"; they're mixing it up, those crazy guys) as they pertain to writers, writing, traditional publishing, and self publishing... but we got distracted. Surprise, surprise.
Most of what we got distracted with during the first minutes is way too dumb and irrelevant to waste your time with here in te show notes. Apparently we didn't mind wasting your time with it on the show, though, because we did. It involves our reviews, Dave possibly being Marilyn Manson, and Wade Finnegan titling his review "Wade Finnegan." Also, French girls and Dave hating people. Again: surprise, surprise.
We took a few voicemails. Sean became Sean Penn and we learned the background of Sean and Dave's mysterious partnership. (Hint: It involves a tranquilizer dart and handcuffs.) We also talked about "do it for you" services, and when you should let someone else format and assemble your book or e-book and when you should simply DIY.
And then we finally got to BlogWorld. After a half hour. Like real professionals.
What BlogWorld had to say about shit we talk about here
Just so you're oriented, you might want to check out the BlogWorld schedule so you can follow along with what we're talking about.
(And for the sake of completeness, should you find yourself listening and saying OH MAN I WISH I'D HEARD THOSE SESSIONS AND NOW I WANT TO GO GOTH BECAUSE I'M SO SAD, you can still pick up the BlogWorld Virtual Ticket -- and get access to recordings of all of the BlogWorld sessions -- if you're reading/listening reasonably close to when this podcast went online.)
Here's some of the sessions I attended, that Sean wishes he'd attended, and that Dave said, "Fuck you guys" to us about:
Should I self publish or get a book deal? with Jim Kukral and Scott Stratten. Scott was on the "pro" side and Jim was the "self publish" side. It was a cage match.
The 411 on Recording and producing a great interview with Mur Lafferty and Rob Walch. Look up Mur. Mur has podcasted a bunch of books, distributing them for free, and it's worked great for her. Rob has done a ton of impressive interviews for his show, which all has relevance in "getting to people" and "getting press," etc. Stuff we self-published authors need to know about.
Podcasting for creatives with Mur Lafferty, Evo Terra, and Kate Baker. This was mainly stuff like Podiobooks (which Evo runs). Podiobooks.com is a way of distributing your books free in an audio version, via podcasts. Very cool. All three of us are doing a Podiobook right now.
The Art of writing epic shit with Corbett Barr. This session by my buddy Corbett from ThinkTraffic was amazing and applied to nonfiction mainly but would apply for fiction as well. His message was to persist, put in lots of hard work, and experiment. It was a very "do the work" message. Also, watch this 2-minute video with Ira Glass from This American Life. I'd seen it before, but he included it in the presentation and it was quite apt. And also amazing.
Building your blog's audience and becoming an expert with major press with Jaime Tardy. This was what it sounds like, and it's appropriate for all of us and for any writer because we can be experts and get big press coverage if we just know what to do and where to look.
Great stuff. (And just remember, if you missed it, you can still get the BlogWorld Virtual Ticket.)Self Publishing Podcastno1:09:46self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 007 – What Works and What Doesn’t Work in Publicizing Your Self-Published Bookhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/7/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=7
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/7/#commentsThu, 07 Jun 2012 13:14:48 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=113https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/7/feed/11We mentioned at the top of this episode that our latest iTunes review from Glenn Dixon has totally nailed our angle, saying that we're "like This American Life on a bus." We couldn't be more proud. - And hey, speaking of reviews,We mentioned at the top of this episode that our latest iTunes review from Glenn Dixon has totally nailed our angle, saying that we're "like This American Life on a bus." We couldn't be more proud.
And hey, speaking of reviews, would you mind heading over and leaving us one? It's easy. Just go here, then click on the blue "View in iTunes" button below our logo on the left. Once it opens in iTunes, you can both rank us (we recommend a five-star review; studies show it's the decision made by the most intelligent people) and click to "write a review."
Getting your books onto Nook and other platforms besides Amazon
Aaaaanyway, in this episode, we first took our first ever CELEBRITY VOICEMAIL, which conveniently asked a question that I'd wanted to explore but that Sean and Dave kept poo-pooing (literally). The question was: How do you get your books onto other platforms, besides Amazon? Which are recommended; which give the most juice? So we talk a bit about getting onto Nook, Apple, Kobo, and the others.
What works in promoting your self-published book... and what blows goats
We spent the bulk of our time talking about ways to promote your book. After our discussion with Ed in Episode #5 about why KDP Select may not be as effective anymore (Amazon's exclusivity program that allows you to make books free), we figured we should brainstorm other things that worked or totally sucked.
A few we talked about are book blitzes on blogs (say that three times fast), advertising, submitting for reviews, doing giveaways, book trailers, press releases, and all of our new love: Podiobooks.
We'll talk more about Podiobooks in a later episode, but the short version is that a "podiobook" is an audiobook that's serialized into podcast episodes, then delivered just like any other podcast (and for free). Sean is currently recording one for Yesterday's Gone: Season One, and I'm recording one for The Bialy Pimps. We hope to have them up within a few weeks (and then will talk about the process and any effects in depth), but just to give you an idea of what they're like and how we might use them, here's the intro I created for the podiobook version of The Bialy Pimps:
That intro will be attached to all 24 of the podcast episodes. Cool, huh? There's an outro too.
Anyway, more on podiobooks later.
So enjoy. And don't forget to leave us that review if you enjoy the Self Publishing Podcast!Self Publishing Podcastno59:54self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 006 – Drafting, Rewriting, Plotting, and the Writing Processhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/6/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=6
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/6/#commentsThu, 31 May 2012 13:15:02 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=114https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/6/feed/24We've got a couple of very different writing styles represented here at SPP. I (Johnny) write from end in one draft... and only then, once the entire thing is done and I can tell what it's actually supposed to be "about,We've got a couple of very different writing styles represented here at SPP. I (Johnny) write from end in one draft... and only then, once the entire thing is done and I can tell what it's actually supposed to be "about," can I go back and do edits and rewriting. Dave and Sean can't do the same, because their work usually doesn't precisely end so much as it leaves readers on a cliffhanger and keeps them waiting until the next episode. They write like TV writers, and I write like a more traditional novelist.
But even on top of that, Sean and Dave write FAST, like at breakneck speed. I write slow. They're largely driven by plot, and I've always tried to start with characters and a situation and see what happens.
None of these approaches are correct. There is no "correct" way to write. But each has their pros and cons, and your task as a writer is to figure out which one works for you.
And really, the correct strategy is ultimately the one that keeps you writing... keeps you putting words down on the page.
Not to spoil the incredible suspense we're know for here at the Self Publishing Podcast, but I actually discovered recently that something Dave and Sean are doing is something I should incorporate into my own process. It's something I didn't realize was missing, and something that -- now that I see it -- has revolutionized my writing. (You'll have to listen to find out.)
In this episode, we tackle several common "writing process" questions, such as:
How many drafts should you write?
When should you edit (correcting errors making technical adjustments), when should you redraft (moving sentences around and refining your story), and when should you rewrite entirely (taking the essential idea that was in the first draft and then completely rewriting the scene from scratch)? SPOILER: It depends.
Should you take a break between drafts of a work? If so, how long... and why is it beneficial?
How do you get characters to "do things," and break through story paralysis?
How do the different types of writing we do require different disciplines, different writing schedules and plans and methods?
We also took a voicemail question from Bill, who asked about the best way to get his already-written book into an electronic format. There's a lot of detail to our answer, but the short version is that we highly suggest using Scrivener (aff).
If you have a question for us, give us a call! We love it when people leave us questions. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy. You can call and leave us a question at 641-715-3900 EXT 406770.Self Publishing Podcastno58:22self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 005 – Decrypting and Maximizing Amazon’s Algorithms with Ed Robertsonhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/5/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/5/#commentsThu, 24 May 2012 06:00:48 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=102https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/5/feed/31Here's an email that Dave sent to me the day after we published SPP Episode #4, Using KDP Select and Free Promos to Promote Your Book: While we were scratching our asses like monkeys trying to figure why God so mad he make thunder so scary,Here's an email that Dave sent to me the day after we published SPP Episode #4, Using KDP Select and Free Promos to Promote Your Book:
While we were scratching our asses like monkeys trying to figure why God so mad he make thunder so scary, a few authors were actually solving this riddle.
He then included a link to Understanding Amazon’s New Algorithms Is As Easy As ABC, a post on David Gaughran's Let Get Digital blog that made Amazon's algorithms look anything but easy. The post was mostly written by Ed Robertson, a guy who, with the help of an author think-tank, seems to have figured out just what the hell Amazon is doing with its rankings.
So we of course hustled to get Ed on the show, persuading him with the same line we use to pick up chicks: "Hey... we've got the top podcast in iTunes for 'self publishing.' " Baby.
A few of the seemingly impossible-to-know questions that Ed answers for us in this jam-packed episode are:
Why did free promos used to result in big post-promo boosts in sales, and why doesn't that seem to be the case anymore?
How does Amazon calculate what gets shown in its vital "popularity lists"... which, by the way, are different from the bestseller lists everyone knows about?
Is Amazon discouraging the use of KDP Select for certain authors... and might traditional publishers now again have a leg up even in the Kindle store?
Is the reign of the 99 cent book over? Does it now make sense NOT to price at a buck?
We also may or may not discuss the meaning of life and why children keep throwing holy water on Dave whenever he makes a run to the supermarket.
This episode is killer. You'll listen again and again.Self Publishing Podcastno1:02:09self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 004 – Using KDP Select and Free Promos to Promote Your Bookhttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/4/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/4/#commentsThu, 17 May 2012 12:18:24 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=88https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/4/feed/44We're talking about KDP Select today, which is Amazon's program that lets you do a few things that are supposedly helpful to you in exchange for giving Amazon exclusivity. As I said on the podcast, it looks outwardly like one of Sean's "suck burritos.We're talking about KDP Select today, which is Amazon's program that lets you do a few things that are supposedly helpful to you in exchange for giving Amazon exclusivity. As I said on the podcast, it looks outwardly like one of Sean's "suck burritos." If you promise not to sell or distribute your work for 90 days anywhere other than Amazon, they'll:
Let their Amazon Prime members "borrow" your book for free (for which Amazon pays you a paltry amount of money), and
Let you make your book free for 5 days.
And you may be like, "What? They won't also allow you to be punched repeatedly in the face? What a rip off!"
But believe it or not, the ability to offer your book for free has benefits that we talk about in this episode.
Here's the post I (Johnny) wrote on my own blog about my the initial launch of my book The Bialy Pimps.
The short version is that the first time I made my book free, I promoted like hell and had around a thousand downloads. The second time, I did nothing and had eight thousand.
The results afterward were unimpressive in both cases, but did have some effect.
Sean and Dave had a very different experience, but that's because they have a shit-ton of books, a series or three, and a product funnel. The moral? Free needs to be part of a bigger business strategy.
We also talked about writing process, building your book's world, writing a series, and other fun things while taking a few questions, including one from a disturbing caller.
(By the way, don't forget that you can call us with questions! Call the big number at the top of the SelfPublishingPodcast.com homepage!)
Self Publishing Podcastno1:06:49self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 003 – Writing Storytelling Process, Character Development, and Sean’s Problem with Stephen Kinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/3/#commentsTue, 08 May 2012 21:09:08 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=79https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/3/feed/21In this episode, we tackle the persistent problem of how to structure your story. Sean and Dave are plotters (in more ways than one; Dave may or may not be planning an assassination) and I (Johnny) am much more situational.In this episode, we tackle the persistent problem of how to structure your story. Sean and Dave are plotters (in more ways than one; Dave may or may not be planning an assassination) and I (Johnny) am much more situational. They have plot points and direct their characters to those plot points, whereas I'm much more apt to develop my characters as much as possible, put them in an odd, funny, or interesting situation, and see how they work their way through it.
Sometime during this discussion, Sean maligns Stephen King. He then tries to backpedal and tell us how much he likes Stephen King, but Dave and I know what the score is. We've got your back, Steve. (Fist bump.)
We also talk about what makes a good character, what seems stilted and phony, and why Battlestar Galactica is something everyone should watch if they want to see some truly great characterization and storytelling.
Here's a few resources we'd recommend you check out:
On Writing, by Stephen King
The Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell
Save the Cat, by Blake Snyder
The Writer's Journey, by Christopher Vogler
Story Engineering, by Larry Brooks
and of course, the newer Battlestar Galactica series, because none of us were kidding about the storytelling being amazing
Self Publishing Podcastno1:02:32self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 002 – Making Your Self-Published Book Look as Professional as Possiblehttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/2/#commentsWed, 02 May 2012 12:06:28 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=70https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/2/feed/10As Sean said in the first episode, your book already has public opinion stacked against it because it "already has the stink of self-publishing on it." (We'll ignore his reference in episode 1 to the "suck burrito" for the time being.As Sean said in the first episode, your book already has public opinion stacked against it because it "already has the stink of self-publishing on it." (We'll ignore his reference in episode 1 to the "suck burrito" for the time being.) That means you've got to look as pro as you possibly can if you want anyone to give your book a chance.
In this episode, we talk about the key components to a professional "look" for your book:
The cover
People really do judge a book by its cover. We talk about how to know when you should and shouldn't try to create your cover yourself and what you should look for if you decide to attempt the very dangerous DIY book cover -- such as stock photography, fonts, software, and why Comic Sans is how you announce to the world that you're a 40-year-old virgin.
Some resources for the DIY cover artist:
iStockphoto.com
DaFont.com
MyFonts.com
The product description
Your book's description isn't just there to tell people what your book is about. It's there to compel people to give you a chance. Nobody will care what your book is about until they believe it's worth even considering, and that comes down to image and marketing. We talk about how to make your description attractive and compelling, and why you might want to consider putting more into it than just a plot summary.
Reviews, categories, and the rest
... because there's more to the story, of course.
After we recorded this one, by the way, Dave lamented the fact that there wasn't enough ball-busting and no mention whatsoever of goths in trees. So we'll be working on that for future episodes.Self Publishing Podcastno1:00:58self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comSPP 001 – How to Get Started in Self-Publishinghttps://selfpublishingpodcast.com/1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=1
https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/1/#commentsThu, 26 Apr 2012 10:45:28 +0000johnny@johnnybtruant.com (Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright)http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/?p=20https://selfpublishingpodcast.com/1/feed/22In our inaugural episode of the self-publishing podcast, after more attempts to make our setup work than we can count, and after Sean continuing to fight us with whatever is wrong technology-wise at his house,In our inaugural episode of the self-publishing podcast, after more attempts to make our setup work than we can count, and after Sean continuing to fight us with whatever is wrong technology-wise at his house, we eventually were able to get down to business and talk about some of the ways to begin your self-publishing journey.
We talked about how we all got our starts -- Dave and Sean years back and only in the last year getting started with Amazon Kindle self-publishing, and me writing my book over a decade ago but only recently publishing it.
You'll hear about two very different business models -- two guys (Sean and Dave) who produce 3 books a week between them (!!) vs. a guy (me, Johnny) with a more mortal timeframe, producing one novel and a bunch of smaller essays.
We talk about:
What you need to do to get your book ready to publish
How the process of self-publishing on Amazon really works
Whether or not you're a good judge of your own book... in many different areas... and what to do about it
Why your book cover matters, and how to best handle it
How to totally screw up your chances of having a popular book
Why it may make sense to have more than one book written before you do any marketing for any of your work, and why I, personally, am not doing it that way regardless of what's smart vs. not smart
Dave's creepy obsession with "goths pissing on trees"
And a whole lot more
Have a listen!Self Publishing Podcastno58:33self,publishing,amazon,kindle,nook,epub,ebook,digital,publishing,diy,writing,writers,blogging,online,business,social,media,marketing,publishers,kobo,amazon,comJohnny B. Truant, LLCJohnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David WrightadultDIY Digital Publishing, Kindle Publishing, and Advice for Writers